


The Exaggeratedly Perilous Journey of a Gay High School Romance

by Araminthe_Ispwitch



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: BTW I do ninja edits, F/F, F/M, I'm so sorry, M/M, Oh My God, One School!AU, Rom-com, THERE WILL BE LESBIAN COUPLES HERE, and not everyone here is in their canon year, but they're... minor OCs, first fanfic in AO3, i'll edit this later, rarepairs galore, school idols, some drama, this is going to be very long my god, ugh what else to say, what is this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-04-29
Packaged: 2018-06-05 05:54:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 86,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6692245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Araminthe_Ispwitch/pseuds/Araminthe_Ispwitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the prestigious Kiseki no Sedai Academy, high school jocks Kagami Taiga, Aomine Daiki, Kise Ryouta, and Midorima Shintarou are regarded as the most popular boys in campus. But when a chance encounter leads them to the intriguing male idols of the school's Glee Club, hilarity ensues as they now start to question their very masculinity, sexuality, and sanity due to the surprisingly... sexy singers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The All-Star Hunks

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted in: FFNet, Tumblr
> 
> Soooo... yeah. I'm finally here in AO3. Hi guys~! :D
> 
> Good News: 5 chapters of KnB goodness.  
> Bad News: Chapter 6 is a long way to go. Suffer with FFNet peeps.

The Exaggeratedly Perilous Journey of a Gay High School Romance

Chapter 1: The All-Star Hunks

* * *

 

It was the start of another wonderful day at Kiseki no Sedai Academy.

At least, for one basketball junkie named Kagami Taiga, it would definitely be wonderful because today, he was getting close to finally perfecting a new maneuver. It had taken a rigorous training regimen and lots of patience in the past few weeks, but his hard work will finally pay off later, when he'll try the move against his teammates during their club practice this afternoon.

Taiga grinned excitedly, already imagining what their team's future matches in the upcoming Inter-High competition would be like. He happily whistled a tune while heading towards the cafeteria. On the way, the red-haired basketball player had all but ignored the warning looks he got from the teachers walking along the hallway. It was probably because of his uniform. After all, the proper male attire for their school was a white polo shirt, a black blazer, matching black slacks and shoes, and the color-coded necktie with the school's insignia emblazoned on it.

He was wearing the blazer unbuttoned and the blue necktie a little loose.

_Like I give a damn_ , thought Taiga. He was the star athlete of the basketball club and his grades were okay—or well, _somewhat_ okay. No need to be a good little student all the time, right? Maybe back in First Year, yes, but he had been a huge help to his team. They've snagged the championship and are now going to defend their title this year. The least the school could do was to cut him some slack. The uniform's a bit stifling if he didn't loosen it.

The tall redhead was about to pass another glaring teacher, when a deep voice suddenly bellowed from behind.

"Yo, Red! Wait up!"

Taiga smirked as he recognized the voice and his little nickname. He turned around to see a dark-skinned guy with short navy blue hair jogging up to him. "Why so tired, _Daiki_ ~?" leered Taiga teasingly as the guy finally caught up, elbowing the other male as he noticed the light sheen on his skin and his shortage of breath.

Aomine Daiki, the dark-skinned guy and Taiga's best friend, just rolled his eyes at the redhead's wriggling brows. "Oh, shut up, Bakagami. I just ran away from Koga-sensei _again_. Why the hell wouldn't I be tired?" retorted the blue-haired male as they walked together. His friend had always teased him about being a lecherous pervert because of his personality and reputation as the soccer club's ace striker, but actually, it was just one of Kagami's clever—surprisingly—ways on reminding Daiki that there's more to life than soccer.

Which Aomine Daiki thought was bullshit—considering how the redhead was head over heels in love with basketball himself.

Taiga snorted at the soccer player. "Please. Your sport needs you to run like your life depends on it. Koga was just at the other end of this corridor. No way in hell should you be _that_ tired~," sang the redhead again.

"That's 'cause I really did ran like my life depended on it," retorted Daiki, rolling his eyes as he swiped the sweat off his forehead. "But whatever. Let's eat." The dark-skinned male shoved his hands in his pockets and picked up the pace, eager to grab some lunch. Behind him, Kagami snickered quietly and followed suit. He was getting hungry, too, after all.

"Aominecchi~! Kagamicchi~!"

The two tall males saw a flash of gold and yellow before their shoulders were enveloped by two lean arms. A mop of golden locks with amber-colored eyes popped up between the two.

"How's your day so far, guys~?" asked the energetic blonde, a giddy smile lighting his face.

"Oh, just fine, Kise. You know the usual. Talking about our sports and stuff," answered Taiga, smiling at the guy between them—used to the friendly contact from the blonde.

"Yeah, like how much we _love_ our games. I'm pretty sure you understand that feeling, right, Ryouta?" asked Aomine jokingly.

Kise Ryouta, who was an avid tennis player of the school and a part-time model, understood the feeling all too well. He was even excited for today's practice. But he didn't want to be lumped together with the two other males all the time. So he opted for an obvious lie, just to joke around.

"Nope, not really~! But, man, you guys sure love basketball and soccer, huh? Well, why don't you just marry them, then?" said Kise, chuckling as he patted their backs.

"Hmm. Marrying 'Soccer', huh?" contemplated Aomine seriously with a little rubbing of his chin. "Well, as long as it'll have big boobs, then hell yeah!"

Kagami and Kise barked in laughter together as Aomine dramatically pumped his fist in the air, looking as if he had won an award. Going to the cafeteria, nudging each other as buddies, joking and gushing about sports... Anybody could immediately see that these guys were just your average jocks.

"You'd best hurry, though, Aomine," interrupted a low voice. The trio looked up to see a green-haired male leaning against the wall. He pushed up his glasses and, surprisingly, gave them a small teasing smirk. "From what I've heard, this 'Soccer' has a lot of suitors."

"Well, look who's finally decided to joke around with us!" exclaimed Kagami as they approached the guy. "How'd you get that stick out of your ass, Midorima?"

Midorima Shintarou, who was slightly above the average jock as most would say, just scoffed at the redheaded basketball player. "Don't be so crude about it. Oha-Asa had just predicted that today is a good day for improving my social life. And since _you three_ are the only ones idiotic enough to keep hanging around me, then I have no other choice but to be more talkative with you today. Akashi and the others aren't here with us, after all, are they?" explained Shintarou. But as he looked towards the three, the green-haired male started as Kagami, Aomine, and Kise all gave him knowing smirks.

"W-What?" stuttered Shintarou, frowning.

"Just admit that you're getting lonely again, Hamtaro," quipped Aomine. To which the green-haired boy responded with an indignant sputter and blushing of cheeks, while their blonde and redheaded friends just unabashedly snickered.

Midorima's eye twitched at the annoying childhood nickname of his as he recalled several embarrassing memories with his three idiotic friends. He was about to retort, when Kise roughly patted him on the back.

"Now, now, Midorimacchi! No need to be so shy around us~!" said Kise cheerfully, taking Shintarou's arm as they continued their way towards the cafeteria. "After all, we've been good friends for years now~!"

"Remind me why we are again?" grumbled Shintarou as he glared at the other two following behind.

"Can't remember, man. Sorry," snickered Kagami. "But hey, if you treat us to a nice meal, maybe it'll jog up our memories!"

"I swear, you and Aomine are gluttonous monsters," sighed Midorima as he tried to keep up with an energetic Kise. Kagami and Aomine made no reply as they just smirked at each other.

"Hey, enough about that! I thought you were going to be _talkative_ in another aspect today, Midorimacchi~! Come on, then! Let's hear your _stories_ ~!" urged a grinning Kise Ryouta.

Hearing the other two idiots agree with him made the green-haired boy's stomach clench with trepidation. He was starting to regret coming to see his friends already.

 

* * *

 

The moment they entered the large cafeteria hall, Kagami and Aomine immediately raced against each other towards the line of students paying—bickering and shoving each other as they argued which meal would be better-tasting today.

"If you think I'll pay for you again, then forget it," said the green-haired boy curtly as he and Kise strolled behind at an unhurried pace. Inwardly though, he was fervently thanking the gods for sparing him from their further incessant questioning about his life—love life, in Kise Ryouta's case—and for curbing his urge to strangle the nosy morons. He didn't want to be labeled a murderer, after all.

"You hear that, Red? No free food," sighed Aomine, dramatically shaking his head in dismay.

"Oi, Kise! Think you can pester him until he gives in?" asked Kagami innocently.

"W-Why you—!"

"Challenge accepted~!" The blonde Ryouta proceeded to gleefully shake Shintarou back and forth, babbling adorably about how his dear friends looked so starved while his victim twitched in anger and inwardly cursed the two other idiots who just stood there and laughed their asses off.

Shintarou was about to whack the moron in front of him, when a group of girls suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Oh my gosh, OH MY GOSH! You're our school's famous varsity players!" screamed one of the girls. The four boys flinched as they all started screaming as well.

"Kagami Taiga, the power forward of the basketball team who came from America~!"

Taiga smiled wryly and said a casual 'hi'.

"Aomine Daiki, the amazing ace striker of the soccer team~!"

Daiki chuckled and released a killer smile.

"Midorima Shintarou, the sharpshooter of the archery club who never misses~!"

Shintarou sighed and pushed up his glasses.

"And Kise Ryouta, the handsome tennis player who's also a model~!"

Ryouta smiled brightly and nodded cordially.

The girls all screamed again and started taking pictures and asking questions in rapid-fire succession. At the back of the guys' minds, though, they all willed the group to disappear. Sure, being famous has its perks—like getting free and delicious lunches, in Kagami and Aomine's case—but it can be tiring after a while. They were already in Second Year, yet the routine of hordes of fangirls crowding around still exhausts them.

"Can we get your autographs?!"

"Do you have any girlfriends?!"

"Would you like our bentos?!"

"Are you _gay_?!"

Both the side of the boys and girls silenced as the last question registered in their minds. They all stared at the girl who had asked; a busty blonde whose eyes were sparkling in something the four guys couldn't quite decipher.

After moments of silence wherein they were already being noticed by a lot of students, the blue-haired Daiki spoke up. "Uh, no, not really. Sorry," he said honestly, still a bit surprised at the random question. The four athletes may differ in personality, but right now, they were all thinking the same thing: _Where the hell did she get that idea?_

It wasn't that homosexuality was frowned upon here at Kiseki no Sedai Academy—in fact, romance was encouraged, as long as both parties knew their limits and responsibilities. It was just that Kagami, Aomine, Kise, and Midorima were among the most popular and handsome boys in the campus. They were great athletes; plus, Taiga and Daiki were practically dating their respective sports every single day, Ryouta was constantly sought after by girls, and Shintarou never cared about romance and no one would ever bother to broach the subject to _him_ , of all people.

And most of all: they were clearly masculine, and never thought or even _looked_ at other guys that way.

_So how on earth did this girl come up with that conclusion...?_ thought Shintarou, bothered at the question as he eyed the group of girls who were now arguing with their friend. He glanced at his companions and saw their apparent confusion.

As the blonde girl was about to reply, a loud shout of excuse came from behind. With fast reflexes, the boys immediately whipped their heads around, but all eyes widened as they saw a small, brown-haired boy running towards them.

Unfortunately, he suddenly tripped.

And his tray of food went flying and grandly hit Aomine Daiki right in the face.

The brunette guy gasped in utter horror. And began to profusely apologize and bow at the blue-haired teen—who was now covered in bits of rice, lettuce, fish, eggs, and soup.

Daiki's eye twitched.

The other three athletes—along with the entire student body inside the cafeteria—all watched in fascination as the brunette continued apologizing for so many unrelated things. They couldn't help but feel pity for the guy, though, as the blue-haired soccer player started advancing on him.

"Ryou-chan! Are you alright?!"

Kagami, Kise, and Midorima turned to two other guys who had appeared. The one who had called out was a raven-haired guy with light wisps of bangs and sharp silvery-blue eyes. The other one had black hair and steel-blue eyes. They looked like they wanted to charge in, but couldn't seem to intervene as they stared transfixed at the scene.

"I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I'm really, really sorry! I—"

The brunette's tirade was cut short as Daiki fisted his collar and glared down at him with the force of a thousand blue thunderstorms. The brunette— _'Ryou-chan', was it?—_ flinched and squeaked at him, trembling in fear.

"What the fuck was that for?!" he bellowed. "Couldn't you have just watched where you're—"

The brunette boy's eyes widened as his foot suddenly stepped onto spilt soup and quickly slipped forward, kicking the tall guy's leg. He abruptly shut his eyes for the coming impact as his whole body fell down, inflicting stinging pain. But as he realized, the dark-skinned guy had slipped too—thanks to his accidental kick earlier—and was now about to land on top of him.

Ryou prepared for the massive pain to come, but his brown eyes popped wide open as something soft yet firm collided with his lips. Then suddenly, he heard laughter bursting from above... And high-pitched squeals of excitement... So when, finally, a pair of equally shocked navy blue eyes stared right back at him, it finally clicked.

He had been kissed by the blue-haired guy he accidentally showered his lunch upon.

And he was _still_ kissing him.

_EHHHHHHHHHHHH?!_

Both the brunette and the blunette hurriedly scrambled away from each other as if they had caught the plague. Their friends, on the other hand, were far from that thought.

The three other athletes were shamelessly laughing. Kagami was rolling on the floor, pounding his fist against it. Kise was holding his stomach as he cried tears of joy. Midorima was covering his fit of laughter, even though his entire body shaking gave it away.

The two guys next to them were shocked speechless. In fact, excluding Kagami, Kise, and Midorima, the rest of the students—guys, mostly—in the cafeteria were shocked, too. They kept blinking, as if they couldn't believe what had just transpired. The girls, on the other hand, were quickly taking pictures and jumping for joy.

Daiki stared wide-eyed at the small brunette leaning on his elbows—who was now currently babbling incoherently, rapidly reddening like a ripe tomato, and was actually a Second-Year, too, as Daiki had surmised from his blue necktie. The soccer player covered his mouth consciously as his cheeks started feeling warm, as well. For some reason, the feel of the clumsy brunette's lips still lingered on his. And Daiki didn't like it. Not one bit.

He was frickin' _Aomine Daiki_ , for Christ's sake! Kiseki no Sedai's _manly_ soccer prodigy! The school's number one horndog, skirt-chaser, and all-around pervert! Guys like him _do not_ kiss other guys—accidental or otherwise.

But apparently, the entire cafeteria—especially the girls—couldn't care less about that anymore. _So much for declaring you're not gay, you idiot_ , thought the blunette. He tried glaring at the brunette kid a few meters in front of him. After all, it was pretty much his fault this happened in the first place. But the more he looked at the quivering—almost _crying—_ guy, the more he remembered the _goddamn kiss_.

His light-brown hair fanned over the floor...

His delicate-looking eyelashes...

His bright brown eyes transfixed on his...

His small cheeks lightly flushed...

His soft, supple lips...

Daiki almost broke his neck as he rapidly turned away from the unsuspecting brunette. _The fuck...?!_ inwardly screamed the dark-skinned athlete. His face got a whole lot warmer now. And from what? All because he thought indecently about some pathetic-looking guy?!

As Daiki turned his face away, he now noticed who had been laughing the whole time. He scowled and glared daggers at his so-called friends, willing them to just fuck off and _die_. At this point, the two other unknown guys—who also had blue neckties—glanced at each other and looked over to their damn brunette friend who caused all of this humiliation. When he had been apologizing so much, Daiki just wanted to wring his neck. After what happened though, Daiki just didn't know what to do next anymore.

Ryou the Brunette knew what, though. He needed to _run_.

When he had scrambled away, strings of incoherent phrases slipped out of his quivering lips. His face was hotter than normal, and his entire body was on full alert. A thousand thoughts kept passing through his mind, making him so dizzy. Add that with the shame of hearing the quiet murmurs of the students around them, the embarrassment at the blue-haired guy's friends' laughter, and the look on his own friends' faces, and you'd get a Ryou that wanted the earth to swallow him up so badly. Despite all of this, though, three huge revelations registered in his mind.

_Oh my god, I kissed a guy!_

_Oh my god, it was my first kiss, too!_

_OH MY GOD HE'S GONNA_ _**KILL** _ _ME!_

"I... I... I..."

The busty blonde fangirl of the four popular athletes suddenly appeared and gasped.

"Oh my GOSH! You're—"

" **I'M SORRRYYYYYYYYYYY!** "

The brunette wailed tearfully and amazingly dashed out of the crowded cafeteria, leaving a stunned audience behind.

"Ack! Ryou-chan, wait!" helplessly called one of his friends; the one with the wispy bangs and silvery eyes again.

"Ryou!" called the other raven-haired guy with the blue eyes. They both ran towards the exit, hoping to catch up to their pitiful friend. At this point, Kagami, Kise, and Midorima were already sobering up. They watched in amusement as the guys left the cafeteria hall.

"You're very lucky today."

It was quite a sight to see everyone within the immediate vicinity of Aomine Daiki flinching in shock. And the perpetrator of said surprise was… a Second-Year guy with light-blue hair and matching eyes? Kagami blinked in wonder as he tried to dispel his shock. Where the hell did _he_ come from? And who was he?

Upon closer inspection, he was so pale and thin; fragile, even. In fact, the four star athletes all assumed that he was probably a sickly person or something. It didn't even look like his height would reach Kagami's chin. But the next move the teen did proved their thoughts otherwise.

He blankly stared at each of them. _Hard_.

So hard, that even the tough power forward Kagami Taiga felt his skin crawl as the guy's light-blue eyes unnerved the hell out of him. It was so mesmerizing, yet disturbing in a weird way.

"What?" voiced Kise, blinking at the pale blunette and his strange words.

"That was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I'll have you know," replied the small guy, in a tone so flat, Taiga and the others briefly wondered if he was a robot. Although his voice was so monotonous, Kagami could actually hear a hint of amusement in his words. Not one to be teased, though, his humiliated best friend scoffed at the kid.

"You talk as if that loser was a celebrity," snapped Daiki, starting to become livid again as the embarrassment known as 'Ryou-chan' was now out of sight.

But the light-blue-haired male only offered a tiny smile. "You have no idea."

The four athletes were taken aback by the fragile-looking kid. Aomine, Kise, and Midorima, mostly, furrowed their brows at the weird dude, while Taiga just stood transfixed at the small curve of the guy's mouth. Wait, was he friends with that brown-haired kid, too?

He remained staring, until the blonde girl from earlier gasped again and broke him out of his stupor. He glanced at her and saw her grin excitedly at the mysterious guy. "Aren't you...?" she trailed away and stopped. Taiga looked back and saw the blunette guy put a finger on his lips and did a shushing sound.

And winked conspiratorially at the girl.

At this, Kagami got really curious now. What did he mean by everything he's said? And who _was_ he? The redheaded basketball player looked back and forth at the grinning girl and the deadpan-looking guy, hoping to decode a hidden message or secret or _something_. But the guy said nothing else and promptly turned away, exiting the silent cafeteria as he politely asked the students to let him pass. Everyone stared at his retreating back, until a gruff voice suddenly commented.

"Who would've thought that Aomine was a faggot, huh?"

Daiki happily proceeded to beat the crap out of the guy.

 

* * *

 

"I SHOULD HAVE YOU **EXPELLED** FOR YOUR DELINQUENCY!"

The four athletes slightly shook in their seats as the angry and twisted face of their Principal glared down at them. While Daiki had been vigorously punching the idiot who dared insult him, the idiot's friends plunged into action, going up against the livid soccer player. Taiga, who had tried to pull his best friend away, inadvertently got himself into the mess and started a huge food fight. Which had left Ryouta trying to pry Daiki off his newfound victim, and Shintarou whacking Taiga's head.

Unfortunately, a teacher came along and the four were pretty much labeled as the instigators of the mess.

The green-haired Midorima Shintarou was not amused. He didn't even do anything wrong, yet the two morons next to Kise had managed to drag him into this.

"Now, now, sir. Let's not be that hasty. These _idiots_ are our academy's most prized varsity players. It wouldn't do to kick them out just because of what they did," pacified Koga-sensei, who had brought the four teens to the office. But then he turned to them with an evil grin on his face. "But this is already their _third_ offense. I'm sure we can just find a more _fitting_ punishment for them."

The group gulped nervously at his words. Even the stoic archer of the four felt a chill run down his spine at Koga-sensei's _evil_ chuckle.

"So, what do you suggest, Sensei?" asked the Principal, who had this creepy glint in his eyes.

Koga-sensei circled the four seated teens as he rubbed his chin. "Well, first off, you are suspended from your club for a month starting today."

This quickly elicited loud protests and complaints from the four friends.

"But sir, Inter-High is nearing!"

"Coach will _kill_ me!"

"No one will be able to replace me!"

"I didn't even do any—"

" **SILENCE!** "

The four teens promptly sat down.

"We've already called your club's advisers. They agreed. So, **no club practice** ," finalized the Principal with a firm voice.

"It took a little more prodding than usual and we might be risking our chances at the upcoming Inter-High, but yes, they agreed in the end. It's high time you all learned to face the consequences of your actions, after all," added Koga-sensei in response to the four athletes' distressed and incredulous faces.

"Oh, but that doesn't end there, though," continued the brown-haired teacher with another evil chuckle. "Not only that, but since you won't be having club meetings, _you four_ will be assisting the Glee Club as their production team for a whole _year_. Am I _clear_ , gentlemen?"

Shintarou and Daiki looked absolutely horrified.

Ryouta looked devastated.

Taiga looked astonished.

"We have a Glee Club?"

His friends groaned and promptly smacked their hands on their foreheads.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	2. The Starry Idols

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad luck strikes as high school athletes Kagami, Aomine, Kise, and Midorima get suspended and get drafted into helping the Glee Club—a newly-formed group of idols that are becoming the rising stars of their school! But will it really be THAT bad? One thing's for sure, though: Kiseki no Sedai Academy will never be the same again!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo extra chapter!

_Previously..._

"No clubbing, a'ight?!"

"NOOOOO!"

"... What exactly do you mean by 'clubbing', sir?"

* * *

 

The Exaggeratedly Perilous Journey of a Gay High School Romance

Chapter 2: The Starry Idols

 

* * *

 

Aomine Daiki scowled as he and his friends headed towards the Student Council room. His entire day just got ruined by their punishment. After all, who wouldn't get upset over something like that? 'Cause _seriously_. No soccer practice for a _month_?! Koga-sensei really had it against him. Daiki had thought that maybe it wouldn't be so bad, but then the old bastard had to go and declare that they were banned from using the sports facilities, too!

The blunette's scowl deepened even more as recalled that. Even though it was already dismissal time, there were still a lot of students in the hallway, and most of them had taken to getting as far away from the scary group as possible. Though they would usually be greeted by fans and friends, everyone decided to completely leave the four guys the hell alone. And that was a good decision, considering how downright _murderous_ Aomine Daiki and Kagami Taiga looked right now.

"Fucking hell..." muttered Kagami. He suddenly punched a nearby locker without even batting an eyelash. "Ugh! I can't believe it! Can you believe it?! This is totally, ridiculously _unbelievable_!"

"We get it already, moron. But really, you should all be grateful they didn't expel us," snapped Midorima Shintarou. "Although, frankly, I blame you two for this. Kise and I were just helpless innocent bystanders whom you've dragged into this mess. You should really be ashamed of yourselves. And Kagami, stop punching those lockers!" huffed the green-haired teen as he whacked the fuming redhead.

"Well, compared to you, Ryouta seems to be okay with it," remarked Aomine. Both Midorima and Kagami turned to their blonde friend who—strangely enough—had actually been quiet ever since classes had ended, now that the three had noticed. It was getting a bit worrisome, since at times like this, the blonde model would go all whiny and annoying and stuff.

But Kise Ryouta just stayed silent.

The three other males glanced at each other before Aomine coughed. "Yo, Goldie," he called, tapping Kise's shoulder.

"Uh... Huh? Hmm? What is it?" asked Kise, snapping out of his reverie.

"Everything alright? Are you... mad at us?"

"Huh?!" exclaimed Kise, blinking incredulously at his companions.

"You've been quiet for a while now," explained Midorima.

Ryouta cocked his head in confusion. "Oh. Well, actually, I was just thinking about those guys at the cafeteria earlier~!" chirped the blonde, suddenly reverting back to his cheerful self.

Three eyebrows rose. "What about them?" voiced Kagami.

"Well..." trailed off Kise, clearly hesitating about the subject, but obviously dying to share it as well. "It's really nothing, anyway. But, you see... I've got this strange feeling that I've met one of them before," replied the blonde tennis player. "It's been eating at me ever since lunchtime. But, anyway, forget about it. Not that important anyhow," brushed the blonde dismissively.

"Well, speaking of lunchtime..." voiced Kagami. He teasingly elbowed the blue-haired teen next to him. Said teen promptly gave him a feral growl and a menacing glare that would make even the toughest of men cower in fear.

Not his idiotic best friend, though.

Taiga just laughed at his immediate reaction. "C'mon, it's not that bad. Like that weird kid said, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"Yeah. One I'd like to forget, thank you very much," muttered Daiki, trying his hardest to dispel the awful memories of that accidental kiss.

"Well, congratulations. You'll get to forget about it while working under the _Glee Club_ ," supplied Shintarou sarcastically, mouth grimacing. "Whoever _they_ are."

"You know, I gotta agree with what Tai had said back at the Principal's office, though. Even _I've_ never heard of this Glee Club before, until Koga had mentioned it. And that's sayin' something," admitted Aomine as they kept walking.

"Maybe it was just formed recently?" suggested Kise with a shrug.

"Well, whatever it is, its officers are waiting inside already," said Midorima. He halted as they reached the door to the Student Council room. After their lecture with the Principal and Koga-sensei, they had been given strict orders to proceed immediately to the Student Council after dismissal as the Glee Club's upperclassmen will be there and will escort them to their club's room.

Shintarou took a deep breath and pushed up his glasses as he turned to stare hard at his companions. "Now, I'm only gonna say this once, but you _better_ behave this time, you hear me? Especially _you two_ ," scolded the green-haired athlete, flicking both Kagami's and Aomine's forehead. "If we screw up again, who knows what punishment we'll get next," he reminded, slightly shuddering at the memory of Koga-sensei and the Principal's combined degree of cruelty.

"Yeah, yeah. Just open the door already, will ya?" snapped Aomine. Shintarou briefly glared at him, before turning to knock politely on the wooden door. Before he could, though, the door suddenly swung wide open, startling the four teens as it revealed an intimidating—yet petite—brown-haired girl wearing a black blazer, a short black skirt, black knee-high socks and leather shoes, a white long-sleeved polo shirt underneath, and a red necktie—the color for Third-Years.

Kagami's jaw comically dropped. "C-C-Coach?!"

"YOU'RE LATE, BAKAGAMI!" yelled the girl. And promptly karate-chopped his head.

"AND YOU THREE, TOO!" Aomine, Kise, and Midorima all slightly jumped as the small female pointed at them accusingly. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TIME IT IS RIGHT NOW?! THE PROGRAM HAS ALREADY STARTED, YOU IDIOTS!"

The three boys quickly ducked behind a still-disoriented Kagami Taiga. Whose face got hit by a flying bag, courtesy of one livid girl.

"K-Kagamicchi!" yelped Ryouta, shaking the redhead awake.

"O-Oi, Riko! Don't kill them all!"

"My, my. Riko-san sure is getting fired up, eh?"

All eyes looked up as two guys wearing thick glasses—and red neckties, as well—approached them. The one with short spiky hair shook his head and sighed at the sight of the four athletes' pale faces staring at the brown-haired girl's murderous look, while the other with wavy locks just chuckled. "It's not our turn yet, anyway..." added the one with spiky hair.

"That's not my point, Jun!" huffed the girl named Riko. She suddenly grabbed the redheaded Taiga's collar and hoisted him up—despite their height and weight difference. "If tardiness is the first impression you give me, then I might as well kick you out, you dumbass!" she yelled, shaking a very pale-looking Kagami.

"B-But Coach—!"

"And what's this about you being suspended for a _month_?!" she cut him off, glaring daggers dipped in acid. The redhead gave a nervous chuckle.

"When you get your sorry ass back in the club, expect me to quadruple your training until you **can't walk anymore, YA HEAR ME?!** "

"Y-Yes, Coach..." whimpered the redheaded basketball player, already fearing for his legs.

Aomine and the others looked on, nervously gulping at the girl's frightening aura. "I guess Tai wasn't exaggerating his stories, huh?" whispered the soccer player to Kise, who looked shaken. It seems the Coach from Hell really was true.

The guy named Jun sighed again at his friend. Though small in stature and chest—which her friends always remember to never _ever_ mention, Aida Riko is one tenacious and ruthless trainer, especially in basketball. Skip one practice and she'd make you wish you never did.

Midorima decided to interrupt before his idiot of a friend got killed on-the-spot. "Y-You were talking about a program...?"

The bespectacled guy with spiky hair turned to address him. "Ah, yes. It's the academy's first fundraising event for the school year. All the performing arts clubs will be, well, performing, and our Glee Club is the last participant. I'm Hyuga Junpei, by the way, the club's President," he finished, bowing at the others.

"This is Imayoshi Shoichi, the Vice-President," introduced Hyuga. The guy with wavy locks smiled gently and bowed, as well.

"And I'm Aida Riko, your worst nightmare if you don't behave," quipped Riko, crossing her arms and pinning the four boys with a deadly glare.

Said boys stuttered a loud 'yes' and—for once—humbly introduced themselves.

"Anyway, let's go now. The others are waiting," beckoned Hyuga; the four athletes deciding to follow behind their seniors. As they walked towards another part of the school, the redheaded Taiga stared at his coach's back. There was a chance that he may get hit again, but he just couldn't suppress his curiosity anymore. He decided to just go and ask already.

"Um, coach?" called the redhead politely. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but, uh, why are you coming with us? Are you in the Glee Club, too?"

Riko turned to him without halting. "Oh, no. I just volunteer to help sometimes, that's all. Most of my friends are in Performing Arts, you see. Jun and Sho here, included," replied the brown-haired girl with a smile—shocking the three other athletes immensely.

"Are you really that much in need of help, Hyuga-senpai?" asked Midorima incredulously, trying to ignore the seemingly-bipolar coach. Hyuga and Imayoshi both chuckled softly.

"Actually, we're not really much of a club, Midorima-kun," replied Junpei. To which the four athletes all shared a noise of confusion. The three seniors chuckled some more. "You guys ever heard of the rivalry between the Music Club, the Drama Club, and the Dance Troupe?" asked the club president.

"About how they had argued over school events last year?" supplied Ryouta.

Hyuga nodded. "Yep, that's the one. Because of that, the Student Council decided to merge the three clubs for one huge event. A few members from each club volunteered to perform alongside each other as one group. And because of this, last year's final show became a major hit, prompting the Student Council to make them a permanent club for the school. And that's how the Glee Club was born," he finished, smiling distantly.

"Although we're only a sub-organization of the three clubs; meaning that our new members will have to be old members of theirs, and that we can only perform as guests for fundraisers," added Imayoshi ruefully. "But either way, I hope you guys enjoy your stay with us, even though you'll just be the production team."

"Thank god for that," remarked Aomine. "I don't think I can stand Taiga's singing."

Said redhead grumbled at him, clearly offended. "You're just jealous, Ahomine."

 

* * *

 

"Ryou-chaaan, come _on_. It's been several _hours_ now. That guy's not gonna kill you anymore!" urged one Takao Kazunari, a Second-Year student of Kiseki no Sedai Academy, as he leaned glumly against a large dance studio's closet. "Besides, I bet Yuu-chan can take him on! Yuu-chan won't let anybody hurt you, Ryou-chan~!" he added, hoping to get a more positive reply from the person he was unsuccessfully trying to get out of said closet for the past fifteen minutes.

"You're making it sound like a crappy BL novel," interjected a deep voice.

"Oh, just shut up and help me, will ya?!" whispered Kazunari furiously, frowning at the owner of said voice. "The concert's already started and he _still_ hasn't come out yet, Yuu-chan! Senpai's gonna kill us when he gets back!" The silvery-eyed boy shuddered as he recalled how the wrath of their club president usually unfolds.

Kasamatsu Yukio—"Yuu-chan" as Kazunari aptly calls him, and also a Second-Year—could only sigh at the guy. As much as he would like to leave their frightened friend alone, he knew Kazu was right about their upperclassman's impending reaction. "Alright, alright. Let me try," he appealed, shoving the raven-haired teen aside. He gently knocked on the door and called out to their friend.

"Ryou? Come on, it's gonna be fine," started Yukio. "You have me, Kazu, and Tetsuya, remember? And don't forget Hyuga-senpai and Imayoshi-senpai. We're here for you, Ryou. No matter what. We're _always_ here for you." The blue-eyed boy then leaned closely against the door, trying to pick up sounds from the other side. He could hear soft sniffles and sobs coming from his little friend.

"You're right," said Takao, who had also leaned in to listen. "It _is_ starting to sound like a crappy BL novel."

Kasamatsu promptly smacked him on the back of the head.

"Ow! What?!" whined Kazunari. "It's true!"

For one Sakurai Ryou, though—who was currently hiding in their clubroom's utility closet, it wasn't a BL novel or any of the like. It was a living nightmare. "This has got to be the worst day of my life!" he wailed woefully for the umpteenth time, albeit a bit mumbled due to his face being buried underneath his arms.

"So far," replied a faint voice from the other side of the door. Another smacking sound reached Ryou's ears, followed by another pained yelp. As his friends continued bickering outside though, the brown-haired teen couldn't help but recall the event that led up to him locking himself in a closet, of all places.

_I can't believe my first kiss was a guy..._

Ryou promptly slapped himself as the images of dark navy blue orbs invaded his mind. For some sick, twisted reason, Ryou couldn't seem to forget those mesmerizing eyes... and those sinful lips...

_W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!_

"NO! I'M NEVER COMING OUT! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!" shrieked the brunette, blushing furiously behind his hands even though he was alone in the small space.

Kasamatsu and Takao exasperatedly sighed. "Koganei-senpai, Izuki-senpai, a little help, please?" pleaded Kazunari.

The rest of the boys inside the dance studio—who happened to be Third-Years—looked at them and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Takao-kun," replied Koganei Shinji, who was packing up his drum set. "But if even _you guys_ can't persuade him, what more when it comes to us?"

Izuki Shun, a bassist infamous for his lame sense of humor, held up a finger. "You'll be quite... _devastated_... at the results."

"Please stop, Izuki-senpai," chorused the two Second-Years flatly. They turned to the lead guitarist, a silent man named Mitobe Rinnosuke. But their Mitobe-senpai only gave them a sympathetic look.

"Where's Kuroko-kun, anyway? Shouldn't he be the one talking to Sakurai-kun?" voiced Tsuchida Satoshi, the keyboardist, as he rested against a large amplifier. "If there's anyone who can calm Sakurai-kun down, it'd be him."

"Well, he disappeared a whi—"

"I'm right here."

Kazunari and Yukio both suddenly let out an unmanly shriek as they came face-to-face with a calm Kuroko Tetsuya—a shriek that neither would ever admit they had produced. And although their blunette friend looked passive and unaffected, the two black-haired teens definitely knew that he was enjoying every bit of their shock behind his neutral expression.

_And here I was, thinking we were already starting to get the hang of that_ , thought Yukio incredulously, referring to the small boy's uncanny ability of being unnoticeable.

"Geez, Tetsu-chan! Stop showing up unannounced! You almost gave us cardiac arrest, you little minx!" huffed Takao, pouting as he headlocked the blunette and proceeded to give him a noogie. Said blunette only smiled in amusement at his silvery-eyed friend's antics.

"Forgive me," replied Tetsuya, having finally been released by Kazunari. "I only went down to the cafeteria to buy a milkshake," he added, holding up a plastic cup with a straw. At that, the others rolled their eyes. Kuroko Tetsuya _lived_ for vanilla milkshakes.

"Well? Can you help?"

"He still hasn't come out?"

"Obviously."

"He's more riled up than usual. Guess the shock still hasn't worn off."

Tetsuya took a sip of his favorite drink as he contemplated the closet door they were currently surrounding. He and Ryou-kun have been close friends for years now. His three biggest faults are his apparent cowardice, getting freaked out too easily, and his habit of apologizing way too much. And although Tetsuya has managed to handle that more often than not—with his bluntness and observant eyes, there _are_ times when the brunette's resolve to clamp up is so strong, he can't make the teen budge an inch at all. He knew the best course of action right now is to let Ryou be, but the blunette didn't want to leave without trying, at least.

He casually knocked on the door and called out his best friend's name—just like what Takao and Kasamatsu had been doing for the past few minutes.

"Please leave me alone, Tetsuya-san!" came Ryou's muffled voice. "It's not going to work this time! I'd rather live here than—"

"I just wanted to remind you that this closet has spiders," interrupted Tetsuya with a blank expression.

The other boys started as a girlish scream and various sounds of objects falling resonated from the closed door. "N-NO! G-GET OFF M-ME! AHH! I'M S-STILL NOT LEAVING, T-TETSUYA-SAN! GAH! G-GET OFF!" screamed one panicking Sakurai.

Kuroko turned to his two other close friends. "He won't come out."

Their four seniors all laughed as Kasamatsu and Takao promptly slapped their foreheads. "We can see that, Tetsu-chan," gritted out the silvery-eyed teen. He glanced worriedly at the door of the studio, dreading the arrival of their president. He had no other choice, then.

It was now or never.

"Fine, then!" yelled Kazunari suddenly, hefting a metal chair beside the wall. "I don't care if you put up a fight, Ryou-chan, but you _will_ get out of that musty closet, even if it means I'll have to _drag_ you all the way to the stage!"

"Oi, what the hell, Kazu?! What do you think you're doing?" voiced Yukio, trying to pry off his friend's hands on the light object.

"I'm gonna bring that door down!"

"With a _chair?!_ "

"Desperate times call for desperate measures!

"He sure is desperate," whispered Koganei to Izuki, as they watched the two boys battle over the metallic chair. "Of course he is. Who wouldn't be in his position?" replied Izuki. "After all, he promised Hyuga he'd get him out."

"HYAAAH!" yelled Takao Kazunari, and comically charged at the closet; metal chair in hand.

The studio's entrance suddenly swung open. "Here we a—Takao, what the hell are you doing?"

Kazunari immediately dropped the chair, almost toppling over due to his abrupt stop, and casually gripped the backrest. "W-Welcome back~!" he greeted with a big toothy grin, smoothing back his raven hair with his free hand.

Hyuga Junpei raised his eyebrows at the teen, but didn't comment as he ushered the other students behind him to join them. "Well, anyway, guys, I'd like you to meet the entire family."

Stepping inside the room filled with mirrors, Kagami Taiga, Aomine Daiki, Kise Ryouta, and Midorima Shintarou all glanced at the boys currently occupying the space, before doubling back as they recognized the last two.

"Hey! You're the guys from the cafeteria!" recalled Kagami.

Kasamatsu stared icily at the four jocks. "And you're the fucking bastards who humiliated our friend."

A low whistle echoed throughout the all-too-silent room as the two black-haired teens glared at the newcomers. Though they were taller than Kasamatsu and Takao, it didn't deter the two from glowering at them. Yukio inwardly smirked as he noticed how tense the four athletes became, as if assessing them. He got a bit unnerved, though, as to how much that blonde guy with them kept staring at him.

_Humiliated... their friend?_ thought Aomine as he glared back at the two. If anything, _he_ was the one who got humiliated! The blue-haired player was about to snap a retort, when Hyuga-senpai spoke up.

"Wait a minute..." Hyuga suddenly stared at them darkly. " **You** were the ones who scared Sakurai so much that he's decided to become a pain in the ass and **never leave that damn closet again?!** "

The four athletes promptly paled at the sight of the bespectacled upperclassman emitting dark vibes around the room; Daiki completely forgetting what he was about to say. They all started as a low chuckle came from the side.

"Oh, dear me. And here I thought you would be _good_ little boys today," said Imayoshi-senpai serenely. At least, that's how he would look like, if the four pale teens decide to ignore the maniacal glint in his narrowed eyes and the slightly creepy quirk of his thin lips.

"Takao," called the irate president. "Where's Sakurai?"

"Still freaking out, Senpai," said Kazunari curtly, his narrowed silver eyes not bothering to look away from the squirming newcomers. He was no longer afraid of what Hyuga-senpai's reaction would be. After all, he wasn't the one bearing down the president's wrath right now.

"I see. Gentlemen, do you any idea just how much you've **cost us?! It was bad enough that that spineless kid is so weak-willed all the time, but now you've managed to TRAUMATIZE HIM FOR LIFE, TOO, OF ALL DAYS!** " berated the livid senior.

If the so-called 'All-Star Athletes' thought that Aida Riko was scary, then the man in front of them would have to be the king of all evil demons. The scene was ridiculous. Here they were, the most popular players in the entire academy, _slightly_ afraid of four overprotective mother hens. All because of that stupid guy. _Great. That loser's a member of this lame club_ , thought Aomine bitterly, clenching his teeth in irritation. Seriously, what was up with these people? It's just one lame kid. What's so bad about that?

Acting impulsively, the navy blue-haired teen uttered the words that no sane man should ever utter in front of the livid president and his cronies from Hell. "So?"

Midorima shot him a warning glance. Koganei and his bandmates all gasped soundlessly as they felt the tension in the room tighten. The dark-skinned guy just issued a challenge. A _direct_ challenge. This was bad. They nervously looked on as their friends just stared harder at the tall athletes, while the redhead, the green-haired guy, and the blonde all shared an apprehensive glance. Riko-san watched quietly alongside them. A totally awkward first meeting, if the band members have anything to say about it.

Daiki dared to look haughty. "What _about_ that wimp?" he hissed. "From how I see it, is he even _that_ important to begin with?"

"Yes. He is."

Kagami yelped in surprise as he turned to his left where...

...the weird kid with light-blue hair was standing.

"W-Where the hell did you come from?!" yelled the redhead, angry at himself for getting shocked by a mere reply from the guy. But seriously, where _did_ he come from? Taiga hadn't seen him anywhere in the room when they first entered.

"I have been here the whole time," answered the blunette flatly as he sipped nonchalantly on his drink while staring unabashedly at Kagami's face—to the tall basketball player's amazement. He vaguely noticed the subdued snickers coming from the two guys with the silver and blue-colored eyes.

_Yeah, you go, Tetsu-chan! Scare the shit out of them!_ inwardly cheered a sadistic Kazunari.

Before the redheaded Taiga could voice his confusion, though, Aomine beat him to it with a snappy reply. "Tch. Like I said before, you talk as if that _loser_ was a celebrity," said the soccer player, glaring down at the weird kid next to Kagami. He got a bit surprised, too, when he had spoken up. But seeing the kid made him remember that incident at the cafeteria, and made Daiki want to punch something. Or someone.

"And I'll say it again, too," suddenly replied the blue-eyed kid, pinning Aomine with an unblinking stare. "You have no idea."

Daiki gritted his teeth. He felt irritated at the guy; just sipping there as if he didn't care who they were. Plus, the fact that the other guys who had been glaring at them were now smirking at his exchange with the weird kid is really starting to piss him off.

The studio's door opened again; this time, revealing a tall brown-haired man with a pleasant expression. "Hyuga~! I've finally finished your—Oh. Am I interrupting something?" asked the man, cocking his head adorably to the side as girly pink flowers suspiciously floated around him.

The four athletes stared at him. Hyuga flinched visibly at his arrival. Riko just sighed.

"Alright, everyone, that's enough. We don't have much time," said the female coach, catching their attention and beckoning the tall visitor to stand beside her. "Let's just get on with the introductions, shall we?"

"Yes, let's," coughed Junpei. "We'll have time for a little **chat** later," he added, staring darkly at the four players again, for good measure. He felt a bit of satisfaction seeing them gulp a little. "Now, everyone, I'd like you to meet our new production team for the school year. They got into _trouble_ today, and will now be tagging along with us, so treat them nicely. _If_ they deserve it."

Kagami made to start introducing himself before the president changes his mind about them, when suddenly, Kise gasped and actually jumped for joy.

"I GOT IT!" yelled the blonde. He swiftly ran towards the startled black-haired guy with blue eyes and unabashedly clasped his hands. "I remember you now! You're the guy who treated me to okonomiyaki after my tennis match last year!" gushed Ryouta.

Yukio—though still a bit angry at the four athletes—now stared in confusion at the sparkling tall blonde. "Huh? _Me_? Why would I—wait, tennis match...?" The blue-eyed teen stared hard at the blonde's amber orbs before realization finally struck. "You're that guy who was bawling his eyes out inside the men's restroom?"

Ryouta blushed as his friends snorted in laughter. "Y-You didn't have to mention _that_!" he whined. "B-But it's really nice to see you again~! I forgot to ask your name back then, but I'm so glad we crossed paths today! I can't even believe that we attend the same school~!" chirped the blonde, reverting back to his giddy self as he excitedly squeezed the other teen's reluctant hands. "My name's Kise Ryouta! What's yours~?"

Yukio was about to answer when Kazunari leaned on his shoulder and grinned at the hyperactive blonde. "He's our Yuu-cha—"

"Kasamatsu Yukio," cut off the steel blue-eyed teen loudly, glaring at his devious friend. Whether Kise noticed their silent exchange, he didn't comment. Instead, he sparkled even more.

"Yukiocchi~!" shouted the blonde. Everyone stared at him.

"Uh..." started Yukio, not sure what to say. Fortunately, Midorima decided to spare him.

"You'll have to excuse him," sighed the green-haired archer; Aomine and Kagami watching with amusement. "He tends to add 'chi' to the names of those he respects. Strange though, that he used your first name..."

"That's 'cause he's special, Midorimacchi!" supplied the happy blonde, emitting girly pink flowers at Yukio—the same way the tall brunette next to Riko just did a while ago. The brunette visitor looked mightily impressed, while Yukio looked downright weirded out.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Kise. Anyway, name's Kagami Taiga," said the redheaded basketball player as he bowed, finally glad to introduce himself.

"Aomine Daiki," continued the dark-skinned male next to him curtly.

"And I'm—"

"Midorima from the Archery Club, right?"

Shintarou slightly scowled at the silvery-eyed guy who dared to interrupt him. Can't he just introduce himself in peace anymore?!

"Yes; Midorima Shintarou, that is," replied the green-haired player, pushing up his glasses as he sighed deeply.

"Right! Shin-chan it is, then~!" chirped the silver-eyed teen. Shintarou spluttered indignantly as the guy grinned cheekily at him. To which a sympathetic Kasamatsu only said, "Sorry. He tends to do that, too."

"Takao Kazunari. Nice to meet you~!" said the silvery-eyed guy—who no longer seemed to be angry at the four. Shintarou grudgingly made pleasantries with the guy named Takao. But inwardly, he was cursing his luck. Now he knew _another_ ridiculous person who liked making nicknames. _'Today is a good day for socializing', my ass. Why have you failed me, Oha-Asa?_

"Takaocchi~!" shouted Ryouta. Everyone stared again.

After a few moments, the other seniors in the room decided to start introducing themselves, as well.

"Izuki Shun, the bassist."

"Tsuchida Satoshi, the keyboardist."

"Koganei Shinji, the drummer. And this is Mitobe Rinnosuke, the guitarist."

Taiga unconsciously grinned a little at the ensemble he was seeing. This was actually the first time he met people from a performing arts club in the school.

"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya."

The redhead yelped in surprise as he turned to the small blunette beside him, startling his friends as well. His eyes widened as he realized he got scared _again_. By the _same_ person. Shaking his head, it took a few more seconds before the redhead realized that the light blue-haired kid was still standing in the same spot for a while now. And was still staring at him and slurping on his drink. _How the hell did I forget that he was there...?_ thought Taiga incredulously.

"Don't worry, Kagami-kun," said a voice. Taiga looked up to see a now-smiling Imayoshi-senpai walking up to them. "You'll get used to our Kuroko-kun in no time." He playfully ruffled the smaller boy's hair with one hand while he patted Kagami's shoulder with the other—the tall athlete getting a bit creeped out by the sudden change in demeanor. Kuroko just kept staring at the redhead.

"Ooh~! Kurokocchi~!" Everyone decided to ignore the blonde this time.

"Oh! And I'm Kiyoshi Teppei~!" voiced the tall brunette next to Riko.

"They don't need to know who you are, Kiyoshi. You're not even from the Glee Club," retorted Hyuga, who seemed okay to approach now.

"How mean, Hyuga!" replied Kiyoshi with a laugh as he came near the president. "But anyway, I've finished making your outfit for the concert." The tall brunette handed him a plastic bag. "Yours, too, Imayoshi," he added, giving a similar bag to said vice-president.

"Well! Now that you all know each other, let's move out!" said Riko, reminding them of the on-going fundraiser event. As they all filed out of the dance studio—having finally made amends with each other, albeit temporarily, the silver-eyed Kazunari suddenly paused as he worriedly looked back at the closet door. He couldn't believe he actually forgot about Ryou-chan for a moment!

"What about—"

"Don't worry."

He turned to Tetsuya, who was slurping the last of his vanilla milkshake. "He'll come out soon. He always does," he said softly with a small smile.

Kazunari slowly smiled in return and made a mental note to prepare Ryou's outfit beforehand. He watched in amusement as Yukio finally pried his hands off the sparkling Kise's iron grip and walked faster than anyone.

 

* * *

 

"—the Dance Troupe!"

Cheers and screams filled the air near the large courtyard of Kiseki no Sedai Academy, where a stage has been set up for the first fundraising concert of the prestigious school this year. It was already sunset when the Glee Club and their new slaves—at least, in the president's twisted plan for the year—have arrived. Kasamatsu, Takao, and their Hyuga-senpai and Imayoshi-senpai separated from the large group to head over to the backstage—a surprised set of red eyes noticing that the mysterious guy named Kuroko Tetsuya also went with them.

"The seats are already reserved, but you four can just take ours!" voiced Tsuchida-senpai as they neared the energetic crowd of students.

"Are you sure?" shouted Riko against the loud dance music.

"We need to be somewhere anyway! Let them watch the guys' performance!" reassured Izuki. The four band members then left the female coach, Kiyoshi Teppei, and the four newcomers near the front of the stage where only seven plastic chairs were still empty. Having waved the bandmates goodbye, the uncanny group then proceeded to their spot.

"Hey, is it just me or..." whispered Kise to Kagami. "... does it look like there're more girls here than guys?"

The redhead whipped around, scanning the cheering crowd. "Now that you mention it, yeah. There _are_ more girls."

"Of course there are more girls~!"

The group looked up to find a busty pink-haired female taking the empty the seat beside Riko. " _Satsuki_? What are you doing here?" shouted Aomine to the girl.

"Watching the concert! What else, silly~?" replied the girl named Satsuki loudly. "But I'm only here for Misdirection~!" she gushed with a wide grin, giggling along with Riko as they turned to watch the dancers on the stage.

The four athletes gaped in disbelief. They just _had_ to be seeing hallucinations. Momoi Satsuki was the beautiful and sexy manager of the Soccer Club. Aida Riko was the demon coach of the Basketball Club. In the past year they've known the two girls, fierce competition would always be what their encounters were like. But now, seeing the two talk so cordially with each other made the four teens fear that the world may actually be ending. And what the hell was 'Misdirection'?

"Looks like you've been spreading the word about them, eh, Momoi-san~?" voiced Kiyoshi knowingly as he noted the huge crowd consisting of almost every female student in the academy. The pink-haired girl giggled.

"But, of course~! I _did_ volunteer to promote them, didn't I~?" Momoi then turned to the four athletes' direction, face contorted into Reprimanding Mode—as the soccer team liked to call it. "The coach is _pissed_ , Dai-chan! And I can believe you got into trouble again, but you three, as well?! Don't tell me his stupidity is starting to rub off on you, too, Midorin!"

Midorima looked immensely insulted. "Of course not! Your little _ace_ here just happened to decide that getting me involved would be a _smashing_ idea. You know I'd rather be anywhere else but here, if I had a choice. No offense to the Glee Club."

"You'd better not let Hyuga hear you say that, Midorima," warned Riko with an eerie smile. "You're the club's new slaves. And you're required to stay for the whole _year_."

The four's stomachs felt a little queasy hearing that.

"Hey, Riko-senpai! Where's that brown-haired pal of Yukiocchi's~?" asked Kise adorably. "Ryou-kun Something. From the sounds of it, he seems to be a member of the Glee Club, too."

"Oh, you mean Sakurai Ryou, the guy Ahomine scared shitless?" commented Riko dryly, boring her brown eyes onto Aomine's uneasy blue ones. "Don't worry. He'll show up soon."

The four athletes faintly heard Momoi's outraged reaction at the news as Riko immediately placated her with a few whispers.

The dark-skinned soccer player, on the other hand, frowned at the stage. "Tch. Why are we even talking about that little wimp?"

"'Cause he's definitely your first gay kiss?" quipped Kagami, donning his annoying grin.

"'Cause he's the only one you're complaining about?" suggested Kise, smiling innocently.

"Because he left quite an impression on you?" voiced Midorima, smirking at Aomine's growing irritation.

"Oh, trust me, boys. The entire _club_ is definitely going to leave an impression on you four," stated Riko with an eager smile. Momoi and Kiyoshi shared a knowing glance.

 

* * *

 

"AHHHHHH! HYUGA-SENPAI'S GONNA KILL MEEEE!" screamed one Sakurai Ryou, the last member of the Glee Club, as he dashed through the hallways. When the brunette had finally calmed down and effectively gave himself a pep talk, he came out of the spider-infested closet—expecting a lecture from his friends or the president—only to find that the large dance studio was empty. On cue, Ryou's phone rang. His best friend Tetsuya flatly told him that they were already on the stage.

Ryou pretty much ran like hell after that.

And thus, here he was, praying to every deity he knew that he would have some stamina left for their performance. Ryou knew it was a long shot, but he hoped nonetheless—thoughts of accidental kisses and dark-skinned guys momentarily forgotten.

 

* * *

 

"Thank you, Dance Troupe, for that exhilarating number!" boomed the emcee. "And now, as we end today's event, we now bring you the _newest_ club in the house!"

Excited murmurs escaped the crowd's lips; the sunset's rays leaving bit by bit. "Hailing from the Music Club, the Drama Club, and the Dance Troupe, possessing _high_ entertainment value, and making their debut at last year's hit finale, let's give it up for... **MISDIRECTION**!"

High-pitched shrieks assaulted the four All-Stars' ears as the entire crowd jumped and started chanting the group's name.

Suddenly, the lights behind the stage's dropped curtains blacked out.

"Hey, everybody~!" shouted a masculine voice. The high-pitched shrieks returned with more force. "Here... we... GOOO~!"

_"DOKI DOKI de kowaresou Sen-PAASENT LOVE HEY!"_ sang a chorus of low voices.

_10!_

_"Are you ready?"_ sang an upbeat voice. A spotlight lit up from behind the curtain, showing the silhouette of a man. Shintarou frowned at the voice.

_9!_

_"Are you ready?"_ sang a gentle voice. Another spotlight came.

_8!_

_"Are you ready?"_ sang a calm voice. Another silhouette. Taiga furrowed his brows in confusion. It sounded familiar.

_7! 6! 5!_

_"Are you ready?"_ whispered a seductive voice. Ryouta's eyes slightly widened.

_4!_

_"Are you ready?"_ beckoned a deep voice. Kiyoshi smiled.

_3!_

_"Are you ready?"_ asked an energetic voice.

_2! 1!_

"He made it!" gushed Momoi to Riko; Daiki faintly hearing them as the shrieks got even _louder_.

"OH MY GOD, YES, I'M READY!" screamed a nearby fangirl.

The curtains swiftly rose, revealing six young men in different colored-hoodies standing at the stage, each wearing a small mouthpiece. As the song resumed, the four athletes all watched in astonishment at the six familiar faces. The crowd went crazy.

_"saa Let's song!_  
_yume wo utaou (Let's shout!)_  
_sora ni utaou (Let's go!)_  
_hajikeru monogatari ni shichaimashou_  
_mirai no chizu wo (Yes x2) kimi to egakou_  
_kono REBORYUUSHON (We are)_  
_ikimashou (STARISH)_  
_ai wo Change the star_  
_Check it out!"_

_"GIRI GIRI na mune no kodou"_ started Takao Kazunari, sporting a huge grin as danced to the beat. Midorima watched quietly, his eyes a bit wide.

_"Uh baby gouin ni naru koi no shoudou"_ followed Kasamatsu Yukio, erotically running his hands down his body as screams erupted from the female crowd. Kise sat gaping at the sight.

_"docchi wo erabu? PURINSESU,"_ they sang in unison, shaking their hips—to the delight of their audience. _"KURA KURA shichau kurai Sen-PAASENT LOVE!"_

The four athletes stared at the scene in front, ignoring the squealing chaos around them. The six boys on the stage were _shaking their hips_.

"Only real men would shake their hips," commented a grinning Riko, not even turning to the four teens. Momoi squealed in agreement. Kiyoshi just hummed. The four tall players looked back to continue watching.

_"naze ka?"_ sang Hyuga Junpei, sweeping his arm forward.

_"kimi de,"_ followed Imayoshi Shoichi, mirroring his partner's move.

_"afureteru"_  
_"kokoro"_  
_"sawagu"_  
_"fushigi na RAVE!"_ sang the two in unison.

_"mada minu seiza wo,"_ sang a smiling Kuroko Tetsuya, causing the squeals to increase. Kagami couldn't help but stare in awe at the different look the light blue-haired teen had.

_"futari de tsumuide,"_ followed a grinning Sakurai Ryou, lively dancing for the crowd. Aomine started as he saw the brunette. He felt his cheeks slightly getting warmer as he watched the small teen sing with a carefree smile—the complete opposite of what Daiki remembered about him.

_"KISU yori"_  
_"sugoi"_  
_"uta de sekai wo tsukurou!"_ chorused the two small teens as they smiled at each other.

_"saa Let's dance!_  
_yume wo odorou (Let's shout!)_  
_sora ni odorou (Let's go!)_  
_yarisugi na kurai ga ii sa_  
_junbi wa OK?"_

Their voices were so alluring... captivating... breathtaking... And their sex appeal rocketed to the roof so much, it was beginning to make sense as to why the majority of the audience were female students... Were these even the same guys they just met a while ago...?

Riko, Momoi, and Kiyoshi all smiled at the four athletes. "Gentlemen..." said Riko, turning to the stage. "I'd like you to meet Misdirection: the rising male idols of Kiseki no Sedai Academy."

_"ikkai kiri no (Yes x2)_  
_SUPESHARU jinsei_  
_kyoukasho ni wa (We are)_  
_nottenai (STARISH)_  
_ai wo Change the star_  
_Check it out!"_

The six members of the Glee Club all briefly smiled at each other as they sang together.

_"koyoi wa hora futari de Sen-PAASENT LOVE!"_

 

* * *

 

"AHHH~! JUNPEI-SAMA~!"

"YUKIO-SAMA~!"

"RYOUCCHAMA~! RYOUCCHAMA~!"

Shintarou, Ryouta, Daiki, and Taiga all stared in amazement as the female audience kept shoving each other, tiptoeing as they waited for their beloved idols—even though it was already starting to get dark. Never in their lives have they seen _this_ large of a gathering just for a group of singing high school students. The four athletes were considered—again—the most popular boys in school, but they've never gotten so many fangirls hogging their attention before. Seeing so many girls waiting for the boys of Misdirection, Kise, Kagami, and Aomine couldn't help but feel a small pang of envy.

However, their musings were cut short, as the girls started squealing and screaming again.

"Oh my gosh, THEY'RE HERE~!"

True enough, Takao Kazunari stepped out of the backstage, wearing a simple t-shirt. "Hi!" he greeted. His fangirls all started chattering away, asking for his autograph and other questions. Then the rest of the singers all filed out. High-pitched shrieks filled the air once again. The athletes covered their ears in the hopes of saving their precious hearing.

"Sorry, boys, but you're gonna have to get used to that," chuckled Riko, throwing them a sympathetic look. The four teens could only groan at the prospect.

"Junpei-sama, are you free next Saturday~?"

"Will go on a karaoke date with us, Senpai~?"

"U-Uhh..." hesitated the bespectacled president. He never thought that he would ever have fans, at all. That's why he didn't know how to handle this.

"Sorry, girls, but he's mine for the taking."

The small group looked up to see Kiyoshi Teppei smiling eerily at them. The girls immediately moved away from the two as the brunette ushered Hyuga back to Riko, Momoi, and the jocks. Said jocks gaped incredulously at their smiling brunette senior. The two girls delightedly giggled. The fangirls all gushed excitedly. Junpei, on the other hand, restlessly massaged his temples—a light pink color dusting his cheeks as he softly muttered his thanks to Teppei.

"Shoichi-sama, you look so handsome today~!"

"Why, thank you."

"Yukio-sama, can I have your autograph?!"

"Sure. But promise me you'll all go straight home after this, okay? It's getting pretty late."

"Kazunari-sama, when are you free?"

"Hey, hey, now~! You all know I don't date often~!"

All around them, the other boys courteously interacted with their fangirls. Admittedly, it was a fascinating sight for Midorima and the other three. Not only were the girls are staring lovingly at them, there were also addressing the six singers like they were royalty or gods.

"TETSUYA-SAMA~!"

"Where is he?"

"Oh, there! Tetsuya-sama, autograph?"

Taiga whipped his head to where the small blunette stood signing autographs without much of an expression. He seemed to be ignoring the girls' squeals, Taiga noted. The redhead also realized that the group of girls at his side had managed to spot him so quickly. _They must have gotten used to him or something._

"Ryou-sama~!"

"Ryoucchama~!"

"Are you thirsty, Ryou-sama?"

"Hungry, Ryou-sama~?"

"You're so adorable, Ryou-sama~!"

Ryou smiled shyly at his fans. It was nice of them to tend to him, but really, all he wanted to do now was to go home, sleep, and just forget about this day. He had almost cut it close when he arrived at the stage—having used his inner strength to keeping running. How he had managed to energetically dance afterwards though, he didn't know, but he thanked the gods nonetheless. He approached Tetsuya; his fangirls following behind.

"Thank you, but I'll be fine. You should all—Oh! I'm so sorry!"

The small brunette looked up to apologize some more to the one he had bumped into, but froze in fear as he immediately recognized who the person in front of him was.

Towering over the small teen, Aomine Daiki stared unblinking at Sakurai. He had been ogling at a few busty girls when something had collided with his back. Unabashedly, he quickly assessed the brunette's key features. Light brown hair framing his face, chocolate-brown eyes staring back at him, luscious-looking li—

_What the fuck, Daiki?!_ berated the dark-skinned male's conscience. _This is the guy who made you look gay! You should be throttling his neck, not having unmanly thoughts about him!_ Unbeknownst to him, though, the small teen staring at him had gone into shock.

_O-Oh my god, it's him! W-What do I d-do? What if h-he kills m-me?! I d-don't want to diiieee!_

Slapping himself mentally, Daiki looked down at the shaking brunette. "You... You're Sakurai, right?" he asked gruffly. _Of course he's Sakurai, you idiot!_

"I..." Daiki snapped his attention back to Ryou. He now finally noticed that the guy was quivering. At him.

"I... I... I-I..."

Kuroko caught the look on his friend's face. "Ryou-ku—"

"Oi, you—"

" **I'M SORRRYYYYYYYYYYY!** "

The brunette wailed tearfully and amazingly dashed away, leaving a stunned audience behind. Again.

"Wha—Not _again_!" whined Takao, slapping his forehead.

"... Guess he still has some strength left in him, huh?" commented Kasamatsu.

Daiki stared incredulously at the spot where the brunette had been standing a while ago, briefly wondering as to how the hell had things turn out that way, when a heavy hand swiftly punched down his unsuspecting head.

"Ahomine, you **idiot**!" yelled the livid president, holding up his shaking fist in irritation. Midorima, Kise, and Kagami, on the other hand, just started laughing their asses off again.

"You..."

Aomine and the three athletes looked up at the voice. In a split-second, their earlier-smug faces paled as several of the fans glared darkly at them, emitting a chilling aura. It was like Riko plus Hyuga-senpai and Imayoshi-senpai combined.

Junpei sighed as he pushed up his glasses. " _This_ is why you should never scare Sakurai off."

The girls snarled at them. " **GET HIM!** "

Daiki unmanly yelped as he scrambled away from the horde of scary fangirls. His friends started as they realized he was heading their way—with the scary girls hot on his trail.

"O-Oi! Don't drag us into thi—AHH!"

"DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR RYOU-SAMA'S AUTOGRAPH?!"

"BUT I DIDN'T EVEN DO—!"

"BURN THEM TO THE GROUND!"

The remaining members of the Glee Club—along with Riko, Momoi, and Kiyoshi—all watched in amusement as the rabid fangirls began ceaselessly chasing the frightened athletes—not even caring that they were some of the most handsome bachelors in the academy.

"Never mess with rabid fangirls," stated Riko. They all hummed in agreement.

 

* * *

 

"—and that's why they'll be with us from now on," finished Kuroko as he crouched down to the brunette's level.

"God must hate me, Tetsuya-san," declared Sakurai dejectedly, as he leaned against a broom inside their dance studio's closet.

"There, there, now. Don't be such a pessimist, Ryou-kun," encouraged Tetsuya tonelessly as he patted the brunette's hair.

Even though the blunette had a blank expression on, Ryou still felt invigorated at the fact that Tetsuya had come all this way to comfort him. Feeling a little better now, Ryou softly smiled at the blue-eyed boy crouching in front of him.

"Ryou-kun, don't move. There's a cockroach on your shoulder."

"W-W-W-W-WHAT?! G-GET IT OFF! ACK! N-NO! DON'T U-USE _THAT_! T-TETSUYA-SAAAAAANNN!"

* * *

_To be continued..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please nag me.


	3. Friday of Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'll edit this later, I swear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I wrote this chapter, the copy of KnB that I had didn’t properly illustrate Hayakawa’s indecipherability. So yeah… he’s kinda clear here… OTL 
> 
> Don’t worry, I plan to give a good reason for that in later chapters…

_Previously..._

"HAND ME THE DUCK TAPE!"

"BUT WE ALREADY SAID THAT WE'RE SORRY!"

"Should we help them?"

"Meh."

* * *

 

The Exaggeratedly Perilous Journey of a Gay High School Romance

Chapter 3: Friday of Revelations

 

* * *

 

On the second floor of a quaint apartment complex, the sounds of sizzling and humming filled the kitchenette of a certain room as the rays of the sun began to permeate through the dark expanse of the early morning sky. Inside the kitchenette was Sakurai Ryou—a shy Second-Year student of Kiseki no Sedai Academy—who was happily making breakfast as he sang softly. So happy, in fact, that it was hard to imagine him cursing his luck all night long because of yesterday's events. But in actuality, the brown-eyed brunette was trying very hard not to think about any of it.

About how he had accidentally kissed a very scary guy.

About how he had embarrassed himself twice—with an audience, to boot.

About how he had almost gotten _killed_ because of those events.

Yep, definitely not thinkin' about any of that. Because who in their right minds would even ponder about weird stuff like that, right? Definitely not him, that's for sure. And so, Ryou continued frying his fourth omelette, emitting a cheerful aura that was completely opposite of his gloomy thoughts.

"Good morning."

Ryou's eyes slightly widened, before a small smile formed on his face—gloomy thoughts ushered away. He turned his head towards the dining room. "'Morning, Tetsuya-san!" he greeted cheerfully at the light blue-haired teen standing next to his table, laughing at his friend's usual bed hair. Kuroko Tetsuya, the early—and still somewhat sleepy—visitor of the brunette's apartment, softly smiled as well as he tried to pat down his rebellious blue locks. His beloved Alaskan malamute puppy, who was adorably called 'Tetsuya No. 2'—'Nigou' for short—because of their similar blue eyes, eagerly jumped out of his grip and sat near Ryou's feet.

Ryou briefly pried his eyes away from his cooking and looked over his shoulder. The small pup barked and wagged his tail next to him, his pink tongue sticking out. "Good morning to you, too, Nigou," chuckled Ryou as the puppy barked to reply. The brunette then turned back to the frying pan, reaching expertly for the salt shaker. "Tetsuya-san, can you please—"

"Fetch the toast?" quipped Tetsuya. Ryou just chuckled in response as the blunette moved to get the bread basket and collect the freshly-toasted sliced bread. After knowing each other for years, he and Tetsuya always knew what to do in the kitchen together. It was practically an everyday routine of theirs—something that always left Ryou feeling grateful for meeting the blue-haired teen.

"'MORNING~!" came the usual cheerful greeting with a bang of the front door.

"Not so loud, you idiot. Other people are still sleeping," followed the usual grumpy response with a closing click of the same door.

Ryou smiled again. This was another thing he felt grateful for. He quickly scooped up the fried omelette from the pan and turned off the stove—energetically whirling around to serve a platter full of eggs on the rectangular dining table and greeting his two other visitors as he took off his apron. There stood Takao Kazunari and Kasamatsu Yukio, already setting up the table with various utensils and chinaware while teasing Tetsuya's defiant-looking hairdo. As the blunette finally joined them after filling Nigou's bowl with dog food, the four teens proceeded to sit down and say grace for the meal.

It was an endearing sight to behold. Four ordinary-looking young men in their pajamas—well, not exactly ordinary in the blue-haired Tetsuya's case—sharing a delicious breakfast feast while barefooted on a quiet Friday morning with a cute little puppy eating happily on the floor. To anyone else, it would seem that the four were very close. And truthfully, they were.

They've all known each other since middle school, with Tetsuya and Ryou being the introverted kids back then, and Kazunari and Yukio coming to their rescue every time. Each boy had his own different taste and hobby, but the bond of music and brotherhood was what kept them together in high school. This breakfast meal was just one of the visible signs of their friendship. Since Ryou's and Tetsuya's parents were all working abroad, they had to live alone. The two best friends could've shared one apartment, but for some strange reason, their parents decided to give them each a place of their own. Which, ironically, were both located in one apartment complex. Kazunari and Yukio, on the other hand, came from the province; thus they needed to have a permanent home in the city. Their families were well-off, so there weren't any problems with the rent. But, truthfully, the four friends had wished that they shared one apartment instead.

Mainly because Ryou was the only one among them who could make a scrumptious meal. And the other three were too lazy—or busy—to learn how to cook like him.

And so, their daily ritual of eating at Ryou's place began. Wherein Tetsuya's apartment was just two doors to his left, while Kazunari's and Yukio's were directly across the other side of the building. Needless to say, they all had spare keys to each other's places.

"Mmm, omelette~!" moaned Kazunari in delight, biting a piece of the ketchup-drenched egg with gusto. "I swear, you're like the perfect wife, Ryou-chan~!"

To which Ryou's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "K-Kazunari-san!" he whined a little, pouting at the silver-eyed teen sitting across him. Said teen just beamed at him.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you had been a woman in another life, Ryou-kun," commented Tetsuya, regally nibbling on a corner of his toast—his hair still defying gravity.

"Tetsuya-san?!"

"Can't help but agree with you, Tetsuya," remarked Yukio, sipping his coffee.

"Y-You too, Yukio-san...?" said Ryou dejectedly as his friends chuckled at his reaction. _Even Nigou barked in response._ He sighed exasperatedly and took a bite of his meal. If there was one thing he was always teased at, it was his apparent 'feminine nature'—as Kazunari-san liked to call it. Ryou couldn't understand why they kept poking him about it, though. What's wrong with being good at housework, anyway? The brunette had been trained to know these things ever since he was a little boy because his parents were always away. But apparently, the guys found it a very big deal considering his cooking skills pretty much surpassed their own families—a fact that Ryou was sure had been exaggerated. He would sometimes be able to play along with the teasing, but right now, his thoughts were still recovering from the shocking events of yesterday. Ryou quickly reminded himself to put on a pleasant expression, lest his highly-observant friends notice him.

"But anyway..." continued a grinning Kazunari. "I wanna ask something. I know I've already asked this before, but after meeting _four_ drop-dead gorgeous men yesterday—"

"Oh god, don't tell me," mumbled Yukio.

"—I wanna know what's your current sexual preference~!"

"I knew it." The spiky-haired teen massaged his forehead as Ryou froze while Tetsuya kept eating. Leave it to Takao Kazunari to bring these things up.

"How'd you figure that one out, Yuu-chan~?" asked Kazunari, still sporting a sly grin.

"From the way you were shamelessly ogling Midorima's ass while he wasn't looking yesterday," replied Yukio dryly. Ryou coughed while Tetsuya's eyes glinted in what looked to be amusement. Kazunari, on the other hand, gave a predatory grin.

"Not my fault it looked deli—"

Yukio promptly kicked Kazunari's chair. Said guy let out a yelp as his seat toppled sideways. He gingerly looked up to find Yukio glaring darkly at him. "We're _eating_ , you perverted gay bastard," spat Yukio, a vein visibly twitching on his temple. It didn't faze his friend, though. Kazunari just rolled his eyes in amusement as he got up; Nigou trying to lick his hand.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now answer my question," he said, rubbing the ache on his arm.

"My answer's still the same. I don't have time for that," replied Yukio, finally calm enough to continue eating.

"And again, I wasn't asking if you've got the time. I'm asking if you go for men, women, or both," said Kazunari exasperatedly. Seriously, why can't his best friend just give a straight answer for once?

"Can I say 'none'?" replied Yukio.

"I never imagined you to be the asexual type, Yukio-kun," commented Tetsuya, cutting a piece of his omelette.

"I wouldn't exactly say that," amended Yukio, taking another sip of his coffee. "I'm just saying that I've never been attracted to anyone in _that_ way before, so I can't really give a definite answer yet."

"Pfft. What about Kise~?" suggested Kazunari, slyly grinning again.

"What _about_ him?" challenged Yukio, narrowing his eyes at the silvery-eyed teen beside him.

"When he had recalled who you were, he looked like he was the happiest man alive," retorted Kazunari, grinning even more as Yukio looked away. "He clung onto you like he would _die_ if he didn't, while _you_ looked like you were _hesitating_ on telling him off."

"Don't forget that Yukio-kun had treated Kise-kun to dinner when they were total strangers," added Tetsuya—much to Yukio's chagrin and Kazunari's delight. Ryou perked up in interest. That sounded a bit out of character for their steel blue-eyed friend... Plus, from how he understood things, it seems that they had met this 'Kise-kun' just yesterday, meaning that he was probably one of the new production assistants Tetsuya had told him about.

_Which means that he's friends with_ that _guy, and he saw what happened in the cafeteria..._ thought Ryou gloomily, feeling the strong urge to hide and cry tears of shame again. But he quickly sobered up and ate in silence once more. He had to put on a brave face so his friends wouldn't be worried all the time. He steadily finished his miso soup, trying to shoo away the bad memories plaguing him as he continued to watch his friends.

"Well? Care to tell that story, Yuu-chan~?" grinded Kazunari annoyingly, elbowing Yukio on the side repeatedly. The spiky black-haired teen ignored the ministrations.

"He looked like he needed a pick-me-up, that's all," insisted Yukio, pointedly staring at his plate.

"You can't fool us, Yukio-kun," reminded Tetsuya monotonously—although Kazunari could pick up a bit of glee in his tone. Yukio shot him a condescending look of 'Drop-it-already'. Tetsuya just stared back blankly as he drank his milk.

Frankly, Kazunari was proud of his blunette friend.

Ryou, on the other hand, prayed that Tetsuya would survive.

"Well, never mind," interrupted Kazunari as he patted Yukio's shoulder—relieving Ryou immensely. "I'm sure we'll hear it _someday_ ," he said, his tone promising a certain future for the spiky-haired boy. Before said boy could fuss, though, the silver-eyed teen excitedly turned to Tetsuya.

"What's _your_ answer, Tetsu-chan~?"

"Like Yukio-kun, I am still unsure," replied Tetsuya readily. "But I must admit that I find Kagami-kun quite adorable."

Yukio gaped at him. Ryou blinked. Kazunari just guffawed.

"I knew it~!" laughed the raven-haired boy, cradling his stomach. "It wasn't too obvious, but the look on your face definitely screamed 'fascinated'!"

"Kagami Taiga, that redheaded delinquent with the pointy eyes and weird eyebrows whom we've met yesterday?!" said Yukio incredulously.

"Well, duh. Who else could it be?" retorted Kazunari dryly. Yukio shot him a look.

"I thought Tetsuya was just trying to scare him shitless or something," answered a frowning Yukio. "But seriously, dude, what the hell's so adorable about _that_ guy?!" he exclaimed.

Tetsuya smiled. "That is a secret for now."

The two raven-haired teens opposite him couldn't help but glance at each other and smirk wryly at their friend's playful side. "You probably did scare him shitless, though, Tecchan," joked Kazunari, earning a snort of laughter from Yukio and another smile from Tetsuya.

"Now!" exclaimed the silver-eyed Kazunari. "How about you, _Ryou-chan_ ~?"

The brunette jumped slightly in his seat as his name was called. Crap. And here he was hoping that he would somehow inherit Tetsuya's ability to disappear before Kazunari could corner him. Apparently, he was still as noticeable as a neon sign.

"I-I like girls, Kazunari-san," replied Ryou as took a sip of his orange juice, cursing himself for stuttering a little. He had meant to come off as certain and infallible, but that tiny stutter just now would definitely encourage his silver-eyed friend to keep drilling him. He had half a mind to make a run for the door, but he knew that Kazunari would beat him to it. Nigou tugging on his pajamas wasn't helping at all.

Kazunari gave a Cheshire cat of a grin. "I'm pretty sure the person who kissed you isn't a girl, Ryou-chan."

Ryou promptly choked on his drink. "W-WHAT?! O-OF C-COURSE HE ISN'T A G-GIRL BUT T-THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT I L-L-L-L-L-LIKE HIM THAT WAY!" screeched the red-faced brunette, who had a flustered expression and clenched fists held up.

Kazunari's grin was from ear to ear. "But did you like the kiss?"

Ryou opened his mouth to reply but immediately clamped it shut as he realized a very important fact. He still couldn't forget about it.

That little, seemingly-harmless contact of lips.

The three guests of the quaint apartment watched in fascination as their brunette friend's face turned several shades of red in the span of five seconds. Frankly, they were all still a bit worried about Ryou. The three could easily tell that he was still very bothered about what happened yesterday even though he didn't look like it today. Normally, Ryou would get flustered and scared, and apologize profusely and fear for his life. But that little mess at the cafeteria wasn't just something you could forget so easily, thus they keep worrying about how Ryou will handle it.

So far, he's antsy and embarrassed at the memory.

"I-It was an accident," reminded Ryou, trying to dispel the warmth on his cheeks. "And that ki... kiss actually hurt a bit, I'll have you know."

"You sure it's not because his sculpted chest fell on top of you?" suggested Kazunari, suppressing a snicker.

"Kazunari-san!" protested Ryou, glaring at the raven-haired teen who started shamelessly laughing at him. Kazunari couldn't help it; the brunette was blushing like hell again.

Tetsuya patted his best friend's shoulder absentmindedly. Yukio shook his head in mirth.

"Come on, knock it off, Kazu. Cut him some slack, would ya?" chided Yukio, thumping his hand against Kazunari's temple.

"Oh, shush, you~! Ryou-chan's being his adorable self right now! Don't ruin the moment~!"

At that, Ryou's cheeks slightly puffed in annoyance. He wasn't trying to be cute at all, dammit!

"But anyway..." continued Kazunari casually, "No need to think too much about that lil' kiss, Ryou-chan~! After all, that was _the_ Aomine Daiki you had encountered~! Anybody would be flustered with _him_ around~! And he's the same Aomine Daiki who is our school's soccer ace, perverted skirt-chaser—"

"And a lazy bum who likes to sleep in class, ogle at girls all day, and steal other people's food," recited Ryou flatly as he picked away on his meal. He halted though, as an unnerving silence greeted his statement. The brunette looked up from his plate to see the two black-haired teens staring dumbfounded at him. Suddenly, a chilling scene came to poor Ryou: Takao Kazunari grinned _devilishly_.

"Why do you know so much about him~?" asked the silvery-eyed boy coyly. Hearing that tone, Ryou quickly jumped up from his seat in panic.

"I-I-IT'S NOT WHAT YOU T-THINK IT IS! I-I JUST—! H-HE'S—!"

"Aomine-kun is our classmate."

Three heads snapped to Tetsuya, whose presence had been unknowingly forgotten once again. Ryou silently—and fervently—thanked his best friend for taking the reins this time. Tetsuya could sense the brunette's immense gratitude towards him already. The light blue-haired boy had no choice but to save his helpless friend—seeing as how flustered and red-faced Ryou became again, to Kazunari's delight.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Yukio and Kazunari in unison. They gaped at the pale teen calmly sipping his miso soup, not noticing a visibly exhausted Ryou deflate onto his chair.

"Aomine-kun is our classmate," repeatedly Tetsuya monotonously. "Kagami-kun, as well."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on!" said Yukio, holding his hands up. "Back up. Aomine and Kagami are your _classmates_? I mean, we know that you and _Ryou_ are in the same class since First Year, but now you, Ryou, _and_ those two are together in one classroom?! How come they didn't recognize you yesterday?!"

"W-Well, uh..." chuckled Ryou nervously, his pleading light-brown eyes darting to Tetsuya's pale blue ones.

"Ryou-kun and I sit on the back. We haven't recited in class at all yet. We're always the first to leave the room, whether for lunch break or dismissal. Plus, Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun are usually sleeping, as Ryou-kun had mentioned. They are not familiar with us or our classmates because they got transferred to our class just this year," explained Tetsuya in detail while petting Nigou's black and white fur.

Kasamatsu and Takao kept gaping incredulously at the blunette and the brunette across the table.

"Well, that _is_ kind of possible since it's only been the first week of the school year, but still..." trailed off Kazunari, skeptical. "They've _really_ only met you guys officially yesterday...?"

"I think our Tetsuya's starting to rub off on our Ryou..." muttered Yukio to his silver-eyed friend, still looking stunned. The silvery-eyed Kazunari couldn't help but agree. There was no way that anybody could ignore their apology-bumbling friend in the same room. Therefore, Kuroko's disappearing ability influencing Sakurai was probably the only logical reason for the two knuckleheaded athletes to not recognize their own classmates at all.

Unless of course they really are knuckleheaded morons who only care about their respective sports.

"So..." started Kazunari, turning to the embarrassed brunette across the table. "Is that why you're still nervous? Because you'll see him again?"

Ryou grunted a little in disappointment. Guess Kazunari-san's eyes were still as sharp as ever. The brunette heaved a tired sigh and nodded glumly. "Yes,", he said dejectedly. That was why he had cut classes for the first time ever and hid in their clubroom's closet until dismissal yesterday. He had been afraid of Aomine-san finding out that they're in the same class and him getting beaten to a pulp. After all, he had just kissed the manliest soccer player in the entire academy! But there really is no escape today...

"So it's not because you've become gay for him?" voiced Kazunari with a teasing smile, successfully interrupting Ryou's gloomy thoughts. To his satisfaction, the brunette proceeded to quickly stand up and indignantly splutter his abject horror at the ridiculous idea.

"O-O-OF COURSE NOT! K-KAZUNARI-SAN!" protested Ryou loudly, face aflame with embarrassment. Before he could notice, Yukio and Tetsuya both threw the mischievous Kazunari grateful looks. Although the raven-haired teen's relentless teasing was quite grating on one's nerves, it never fails to temporarily distract one Sakurai Ryou from his earthly woes. A bit annoying and unorthodox, but it gets the job done; which is why they let him pester the brunette sometimes.

Kazunari could only grin back at the two as they kept listening to Ryou's ungraceful spluttering. "A-AND EVEN IF I-I WAS G-GAY, I-I'D RATHER DATE S-SOMEONE LIKE TETSUYA-SAN!" declared Ryou confidently. Yeah, that sounded better. He wasn't really gay like Kazunari-san and never saw his best friend in that light at all, but anybody with a sound mind would definitely say that preferring Kuroko Tetsuya if he ever _was_ gay was a much better option. After all, there was absolutely no way he'd go anywhere near someone intimidating, single-minded, and promiscuous like that Aomine!

"You are not my type, Ryou-kun," retorted Tetsuya bluntly.

A figurative arrow stabbed Ryou as he gave his supposed best friend a tearfully accusing look. He tried very hard to drone out his other two friends' low snickers while he comforted his wounded pride. Why were his buddies so mean today?!

"Don't worry, Ryou," soothed Yukio. "Just apologize properly. And don't overdo it," he said, giving the brunette a knowing look. "If that doesn't work or he tries to bully you, then leave it to us and our senpais. They're the club's lackeys now, after all," he added, sharing a devious glance with Kazunari.

"O-Okay... I'll t-try..." half-heartedly acquiesced the uneasy Ryou. But deep inside, he really couldn't help feeling frightened and nervous all over again. Blame it on his childhood and persona, but he seriously could never handle stressful and daunting situations like walking up to a towering high school student who looks like a yakuza member and calmly ask for forgiveness. And now, after imagining that exchange, Ryou felt his heartbeat spike up in fear once more.

"B-But what if h-he decides to m-murder me?! Or w-what if he t-tosses me into the depths of Tokyo Bay?! Or w-what if—!"

"Grow a spine, Ryou-kun," scolded Tetsuya monotonously.

Another arrow stabbed the brunette painfully. Unabashed peals of laughter and happy barks from Nigou filled the large one-bedroom apartment of Sakurai Ryou—a shy Second-Year student of Kiseki no Sedai Academy who was currently cursing his cruel friends and fearing for his life.

 

* * *

 

_You can do it, Ryou! Be confident!_

Ryou stiffly walked through the halls leading to his and Tetsuya's classroom for First Period.

Correction: his and Tetsuya and Aomine Daiki and Kagami Taiga's classroom.

A sudden chill of fear assaulted the brown-haired high-schooler's spine as the fact returned to him once more. Whether he decides to hide for the rest of his life or roll off the face of the earth, that single fact that he can't escape the livid soccer player he had accidentally humiliated in public forever is still there; which is why the brunette was currently giving himself another one of his infamous pep talks for his coming face-off/stand-off/impending doom.

Strolling calmly beside him was his best friend, Kuroko Tetsuya, who was currently not helping with the situation, to Ryou's chagrin. Instead of reassuring him like the good friend that he was supposed to be, the small blunette kept sadistically wondering aloud about how their dark-skinned classmate would exact vengeance on Ryou. Frankly, Ryou wanted to plot _his_ revenge against the good-for-nothing teen stoically walking beside him. If only Yukio-san and Kazunari-san hadn't left them earlier...

_Calm down, calm down. Just ignore Tetsuya-san for now. He's only poking fun at you, as always!_ thought the brunette as he tried to walk normally. _All you have to do is apologize sincerely and hope for the best! No excessive bowing. No unnecessary rambling. Just put on your best impression of Tetsuya-san's poker fa—no, wait, maybe I shouldn't. He might get the wrong idea. I need to look sincere and humble! Alright then, I can do "sincere and humble"!_

"I wonder if Aomine-kun is the sadistic type."

"Please stop, Tetsuya-san. Please."

Ryou quickly focused on the task at hand once again; which was trying to convince himself that the world is a happy place. Kuroko just opted to silently chuckle at his friend's determined-yet-nervous-and-pretending-to-be-optimistic look. The brunette subconsciously gripped his fists in front of his chest and started chanting a mantra as an aura of vigor figuratively enveloped his small frame—unnoticed by the thinning crowd of students in the hallway.

"I can do this... I can do this... I can do this... I can—"

"Oi, watch where—!"

Ryou squeaked as the pissed-off face of one Aomine Daiki turned to him. Startled as hell, the brunette instinctively did the one thing he was taught to do in such a situation.

He swiftly punched the guy's jaw and ran for the hills.

"G-GLORY TO THE SUTRA! GLORY TO THE SUTRA! GLORY TO THE—"

A dark-skinned fist expertly collided with the escaping brunette's skull, connecting his entire body to the cold floor and effectively cutting off the boy's strange chanting. The owner of said fist was looming angrily over the injured brunette—a vein twitching in his right temple and a reddening bump on his jaw. To say that Aomine Daiki—soccer prodigy, manwhore, and lecherous pervert—was pissed off right now would be an understatement.

Kagami Taiga, who had happened to be walking with the navy blue-haired teen before the skittish brunette struck, whistled low as he watched his best friend glare daggers at the groaning student slumped on the floor while others nervously watched. If what he saw was right, then that guy would be the same one whom Aomine had—accidentally—kissed yesterday.

"Wow. He's got a mean right hook for a small, wimpy kid," commented the redheaded basketball player in awe.

"Yes. His mannerisms can be quite misleading."

Taiga shrieked in surprise as he noticed the petite light blue-haired teen next to him. "You again?!" yelled the redhead angrily as he tried to calm his frightened heart—though he was mostly angry at himself for letting out a girly scream like that in front of other people.

However, the two boys' conversation went unnoticed as Daiki kept glaring at the boy on the floor. There were a number of reasons as to why he should beat the crap out of this kid. One, he had been publicly humiliated by him. In fact, the statement does no justice to Daiki _at all_. Two, he was the reason why Daiki was banned from playing soccer for a month and forced to play 'assistant' to some nerds. Three, because of him, an entire squadron of clinically-insane women had hunted him down for _three hours_ last night. He and his friends barely managed to escape—Midorima having taken the most damage out of the ordeal. Four, because of the fangirl fiasco yesterday, he had to wear an inconspicuous disguise consisting of a _skirt and blouse_ to school today—which was one Momoi Satsuki's _fuckingly brilliant_ idea, by the way. Not to mention that he had light scratches and bruises all over his arms and legs and he had a few bandages on his handsome face. And now five, the same guy actually had the _nerve_ to sock him first thing in the morning. Again, marring his handsome face.

Aomine could care less if he was some goddamn prince. He was _so_ gonna get it now. And frankly, that little whack on the head was just a sampler.

Sakurai gingerly stood up; wincing in pain because of the large bump on his head. Before anything else though, he was roughly lifted up by the collar and was forced to stare in horror at the livid and bruised face of one Aomine Daiki—who happens to be his _classmate_ , as helpfully supplied by his brain. Ryou nervously let out a strangled noise at the back of his throat. Warning bells rang clearly in his ears, along with the increasing speed of his heart. He could actually feel his legs quivering because he was suspended in mid-air by the powerful grip of the athlete. And again, Ryou was reminded of how tall and strong the guy was. There was no doubt that he wouldn't last in a brawl against him.

Not that he'd want to fight him, of course. Only idiots would ever challenge this... beast...

_I'm an idiot!_ reprimanded Ryou mentally as he recalled what he'd done a few moments ago. He was really starting to hate his defensive reflexes.

"I admire your balls, kid," hissed Aomine dangerously, snapping Sakurai out of his inner musings. But before the shorter teen could meekly voice out how wrong that statement had sounded on so many levels, the dark smoldering blue orbs of the dark-skinned boy pinned the brunette's chocolate brown ones in a heated gaze; their audience's low murmurs and blatant stares long forgotten.

"But do you think I'll actually let you run away _this time_?" growled the dark-skinned teen, unconsciously leaning closer towards Ryou's pale face. The terrified young man opened and closed his mouth, failing to form any coherent word as he unknowingly gripped the tanned fist hoisting him up.

His worst nightmares were coming true.

He was never gonna escape.

And to think that he's gonna die on a glorious Friday, of all days!

Outrageously petrified, the little brunette did the _other_ one thing he was always known for: apologizing in rapid succession.

" **I'M SORRY! I'M VERY SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I'M SORRY FOR EXISTING! I'M SORRY FOR BEING AN EYESORE! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME, I—** "

A pained yelp escaped one Sakurai Ryou's lips as a large bump was now visibly tormenting his thick skull. The perpetrator was once again Aomine Daiki—who, by all accounts, was royally pissed right now. _Seriously, who the hell apologises annoyingly like that?! Shouldn't you be usually trying to appease the other person?!_ Well, Daiki was definitely not appeased. In fact, he could feel a headache coming with all of the angry twitching he's been doing. And he wanted to inflict glorious pain upon this idiot all the more.

The soccer player's free fist shook with restraint as he irritatedly glared at the whimpering teen inches from him. Why the fuck was he still going easy on this guy, anyway? _Ah, yes. 'Cause if I so much as strangle him, those fruitcakes called the Glee Club will go all Raging Popstar Mode on me._ Normally, Daiki could care less if this kid was another one of those morons who crossed him; but unfortunately, he had to make an exception for this wimp. Mainly because said fruitcakes were damn scary, as he grudgingly comes to admit. Plus, if word gets out to those bastards known as Koga and the Principal, he would probably be forced to actually say goodbye to soccer and his promising career. Yes, those old farts were _that_ evil.

Daiki tried to recount his five reasons as to why he should kill this little piece of shit, but to no avail. As much as he tried to fill himself with uncontrolled rage, he still couldn't get to hurt the kid even more and leave a glaring physical evidence of his wrath—not when he knew what the heavy consequences would be. Like hell would he give up soccer for this loser! So for the first time ever, the rational part of his brain won him over.

Ryou weakly mumbled a new string of apologies as his small frame quivered in fright at the daunting male towering over him. He had closed his eyes in pain earlier because of the second whack and dared not open them until necessary. The less he saw the scary-looking guy, the better he could calm his panicking heart. But when he heard a few deep sighs in front of him, Ryou couldn't stave off the urge to peek anymore. Surely the angry athlete hoisting him up wasn't the one doing that, right...?

Ryou shut his eye quickly as he noticed that the other teen—although no longer growling—was still obviously annoyed, if that vein throbbing in his temple was any indication. "S-Sorry..." he whimpered pathetically, at a loss with what to do.

Aomine Daiki was at a loss, too. He was really torn between tossing the whimpering kid off a rooftop and just walking away to find a wall to bang his head against.

But instead, the dark navy blue-haired teen just expelled another long sigh and set the brunette back down on the floor. "Will you just shut up, you moron? Look, I'm not gonna kill you," he grumbled exasperatedly.

Ryou's chocolate brown eyes suddenly opened; utter shock, surprise, and gratitude marring his face—not even noticing the deafening silence in the hallway that followed. He joyfully inhaled, ready to bombard the tall athlete with a myriad of thanks, when said tall athlete pinned him a threatening glare.

" _ **Yet**_."

Ryou fearfully gulped.

"As much as I'd like to, I can't. I've got _way_ better things to do. Plus, for some reason, trying to land a scratch on you seems like such a huge crime in this godforsaken place," growled Aomine, grimacing at the memory of those rabid women. "So, I won't shove my foot up your ass if you never apologize that lamely and annoyingly again and just fucking _shut up_. _Got it_?"

"Y-YES!" squeaked Ryou highly. He flinched though, when the dark-skinned teen narrowed his blue gaze dangerously. "I-I mean, yes..." he amended timidly. "B-But, uh... what about y-yesterday...?"

"It was an accident. Let's leave it at that," replied Aomine quickly. "Unless... you swing that way?"

"NO! No, no! I'm not, I swear! It really was an accident..." mumbled Sakurai, blushing a little as he remembered that kiss for the umpteenth time. Unsurprisingly, the earlier talk with Kazunari-san also came to mind.

"Hn. Whatever," grunted the soccer player as he looked away while nursing his poor jaw. "Just don't get in my way. It was bad enough that I can't play for my team, now I have to serve some girly boy group, too."

The brunette laughed nervously at him. "S-Sorry about that..." he said, both referring to Aomine's punishment and his earlier punch at him.

Daiki focused his eyes back on the small brunette scratching his head in embarrassment. After a moment or two, the dark-skinned teen curtly nodded at him. "Aomine Daiki."

Ryou snapped his head up to see the tall athlete in a neutral expression. Belatedly realizing that _the_ Aomine Daiki—the guy he had inadvertently brought hell upon, mind you—was now offering a little truce and a chance to start over properly, the brunette stumbled to respond to the dark blunette.

"S-Sakurai Ryou! N-Nice to meet you!" bowed the brown-eyed teen.

Aomine only grunted in acknowledgement.

Ryou was about to thank him—just once, this time—for not beating him to a pulp, when Tetsuya-san's monotonous voice rang across the all-too-silent hallway.

"Are you two done yet?"

Everyone—including Kagami himself—jumped in surprise at the small blunette stoically staring at Sakurai and Aomine. Said blunette then came to the nodding Ryou's side and started silently fixing his ruined collar and necktie as their stunned audience looked on.

"I'm very proud of you, Ryou-kun," said Kuroko, ignoring everyone else's expressions.

Ryou blushed slightly at the compliment. "T-Thank you, Tetsuya-san."

"Although, to be honest, I thought you would be kissing him senseless again."

"T-TETSUYA-SAN!"

A multitude of murmurs surrounded the four as every student pondered aloud about what they had just witnessed first-hand.

Had that kiss from yesterday addled the two teenagers' brains? Were Aomine Daiki and that guy really gonna kiss again? How in the world does the chemistry between frickin' Aomine and _that_ guy work, anyway?

Kagami snorted in amusement; both at the scene and at everyone's dumb theories. Aomine, on the other hand, just blinked in incredulity. The panicky Sakurai Ryou he had met yesterday was back at the snap of a finger. Amazing.

"And Aomine-kun..." The light blue-haired Kuroko turned to Aomine—who had unwittingly jumped in shock again. "Thank you for your kindness. I understand that my friend can be quite irritating at times, so thank you very much for being patient with him."

Ignoring the brunette's indignant squawk, the dark-skinned athlete opted to just lay it down for the pale teen. "Yeah, well, let's just say that my patience is thin, kid."

"Noted, then. You heard him, Ryou-kun."

Ryou eagerly nodded at the soccer player.

As if to bring them all back to reality, the school bell rung. The unwanted audience of various students squeaked and quickly dispersed for First Period. It was then that Ryou felt sorely embarrassed at the sight of other people who openly watched his and Aomine's encounter and at the realization that he actually didn't _realize_ that there were people watching them.

"We better go." Kagami—having finally gotten his bearings from the last few moments' shocking events—beckoned to Aomine as he neared their classroom's door.

"I agree. Come, Ryou-kun." Tetsuya and Ryou moved forward to join the two tall athletes.

"Hang on a sec. Why the hell are you following us?" asked the redhead, brows furrowed in confusion as he looked down at the two small performers.

Tetsuya stared at them unblinking for a few moments—long enough for the two jocks to start feeling self-conscious—before he finally answered.

"... We're your classmates, you idiots."

"Oh," chorused the two said idiots.

"WAIT, WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" gawked one Kagami Taiga.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL US?!" snarled one Aomine Daiki.

Ryou could only sigh.

 

* * *

 

"Hey, guys~! Ready for lunch~?"

To say that seeing Takao Kazunari of the damn Glee Club/Misdirection slam their classroom's door open and holler at them immediately after the lunch bell rang was quite a shock was definitely the understatement of the year. Because, frankly, why the fuck would _he_ want to have lunch with _them_?

But then Daiki realized that the raven-haired teen wasn't even walking towards his or Tai's desk. Then Daiki remembered that Sakurai and Kuroko were their classmates.

It was still a bit hard to believe, honestly. To think that they never noticed those two this whole week... Well, he could understand that part when it comes to that Kuroko kid. After all, he kept scaring the fuck out of them without even trying. But he was still at a loss with Sakurai.

Daiki tried not to think too hard about it. He should be glad enough that the brunette was a sensible guy who understands the concept of threats. Plus, from the look of things, Sakurai seems as eager as he was in avoiding interaction altogether. A good decision considering how much gossip the entire fucking academy welcomes.

He kind of pities Tai, though. For some reason, that creepy Kuroko kid had been blatantly staring at him the whole time. And Daiki only noticed when the redhead flinched, looking at Kuroko.

"Come on, let's go~!" hurried Takao, comically hopping in place as he impatiently waited for his friends.

Taiga and Daiki moved to leave the room when the raven-haired teen suddenly called them.

"Wanna have lunch with us?" asked the bright-eyed Takao. The two athletes glanced at each other in confusion.

"Why are you inviting us? Don't you guys kind of hate us?" retorted the redheaded basketball player.

Takao just grinned. "Well, we don't exactly hate you anymore, now that you made peace with our Ryou-chan," he said, waving his phone at them as an explanation. A single text from Kuroko was displayed.

"Plus, we should really get to know each other more and come to an understanding since we're going to be working together."

The five boys turned to see Kasamatsu Yukio leaning against the doorframe, a small plastic bag in one hand. "Besides, it'll be Ryou's treat, anyway."

Ryou started as the two intimidating jocks gave him inquisitive looks. Truthfully, he wasn't expecting them to join, but then he suddenly remembered Kazunari-san's request this morning about bringing more food than usual. It finally dawned on Ryou as to why.

"W-Well, uh... S-Since it was my fault in the first place, I'd like to make it up to you, Aomine-san," said Ryou timidly. "O-Oh! A-And it's a welcoming gift for you and your other friends, too, Kagami-san!"

Aomine and Kagami glanced at each other again, before both giving the four other boys an appreciative grin. "Well, okay then. Can't say no to a free meal, anyway," chuckled Kagami, slinging his bag on his shoulder.

"Great! Then it's settled~! Yuu-chan, fetch Kise and Shin-chan from their classrooms—"

"Wait, what?! Why the hell do _I_ have to—"

"Yukiocchi~!"

Kasamatsu flinched in shock at the arrival of the hyperactive blonde named Kise Ryouta. Behind him was the tall and ever-frowning Midorima Shintarou—who was obviously dying to leave the blonde all by himself. Strangely enough, the green-haired archer was holding a ball of yarn in his bandaged left hand.

"What are you guys doing at Aominecchi and Kagamicchi's classroom~?" queried the adorable Kise, who had peered _very_ closely at the spiky-haired boy's twitching face.

"Aomine-kun, Kagami-kun, Ryou-kun, and I are all in Class 2-C," repeated Kuroko tonelessly. The abrupt outburst that followed was expected.

"How on Earth did you not know that?!" demanded Midorima at his two idiotic friends.

"God, can we just _go_ already?" groaned Aomine, blatantly ignoring the green-haired archer's question as he strode out of the room and rubbed his jaw for the umpteenth time.

"Isn't it amazing that our friends have something in common~? By the way, what class are _you_ in, Yukiocchi~?" asked Kise eagerly as he held Kasamatsu's hands.

"Uh, 2-B, with Kazu."

"Really?! Midorimacchi and I are in 2-A~!"

"YOU'RE IN THE PILOT SECTION?!" exclaimed Kasamatsu and Takao, wide-eyed at the grinning Kise.

"Shocking, I know," sympathized Midorima Shintarou as he pushed his glasses up.

"Guys, come on! I'm starving!" complained the basketball player in their group.

Sakurai stood up, carrying a box wrapped in a large piece of cloth. "Sorry for making you wait, Kagami-san."

"That looks heavy. Need help?"

"It's alright. I'll be fine."

"But wait, I didn't see you carrying that this morning..."

"Oh, Tetsuya-san was the one who had it."

"... Well, that makes sense."

Kise suddenly left Kasamatsu's side and came towards the redhead and the brunette. "You're Sakuraicchi Ryou, right~?" he gushed excitedly, pushing Kagami away. "It's so nice to finally meet you~! I'm Kise Ryouta~! That's Midorimacchi~! I hope you'll forgive Aominecchi! He can be such an idiot at times—"

"Hey!"

"—But he means well! I'm sure you guys will become good friends, now that you're actually classmates~! Also, I'm sorry about yesterday. We weren't really laughing at you; we were laughing at Aominecchi!"

"Fuck you!"

"Ah, but you know, you guys were really cool at the concert last night, especially Yukiocchi~! It's even cooler as to how your first name is a nickname of mine~! This must mean that we should be friends as well~! What do you think, Sakuraicchi~?"

The brown-haired Sakurai stared in awe at the babbling blonde Kise whom he vaguely remembers as some sort of famous model all his fans love and the stoic green-haired companion of his who was introduced as 'Midorimacchi'. To be honest, he really couldn't imagine them being friends with someone like Aomine-san; but then again, other people couldn't imagine him having best friends like Takao Kazunari, Kasamatsu Yukio, and Kuroko Tetsuya, anyway.

He smiled shyly and bowed at the cheery blonde who had given him a cutesy name. "W-Well, it's nice to meet you, too, Kise-san. No need to apologize, and I'm glad you enjoyed our performance." When the blonde tennis player-slash-model smiled brightly back at him, Ryou felt a little more relaxed.

"Can we please _leave_? I don't want Kise's creepy fans hounding us," spat out an irate Aomine outside the room, earning everyone's attention and Kasamatsu's slightly horrified stare.

"Hey, they're not creepy!" yelled an indignant Kise Ryouta, pouting at the blue-haired teen.

"Tell that to the ones who came after us yesterday."

Ryouta, Shintarou, and Taiga immediately shuddered.

After a few more mumbled comments from a flabbergasted Takao about Kise being a straight A student, the large group consisted of Kiseki no Sedai Academy's most handsome varsity players and teenage male idols finally left the empty classroom as they headed for the cafeteria.

At least, that's where the varsity players thought they were going, when their new companions suddenly approached the stairs going up.

"Where are you guys going? Cafeteria's downstairs, you know," voiced Kagami.

"We know that, idiot," retorted Kasamatsu. "But just because I said that it'll be Ryou's treat doesn't mean that he's gonna _buy_ your meals there." At that, the four Glee Club members continued climbing the stairs, missing the confused looks of the athletes.

They walked in silence, passing by other students and teachers that were going down for lunch. After reaching two more floors, Kise spoke up.

"Hey, how come you're called 'Misdirection'?" he asked, walking closely beside a somewhat-tense Kasamatsu Yukio.

"And how come all the girls that we pass by just ignore you? Weren't they crazy for you yesterday?" added Kagami, walking behind a yawning Aomine.

Kazunari and Yukio exchanged grins. "Why don't we show you, then?" said Takao.

The silvery-eyed teen then grabbed Kise and Kagami and pushed them towards a small group of First-Year girls. The girls immediately squealed and surrounded the two flustered athletes.

Kazunari looked back at the others and grinned. "Now, observe." He turned back to the starry-eyed girls, took a deep breath, and counted silently with his fingers up to three.

_"Ano kousaten de_

_minna ga moshi SUKIPPU wo shite"_

The small group of girls stopped their loud chatter and stared in awe at the singing raven-haired guy and the other three boys who were humming along.

_"Moshi ano machi no mannaka de_

_te wo tsunaide sora wo miagetara"_

Midorima, Kise, Kagami, and Aomine were floored. Takao Kazunari had actually managed to shut them up. To their further astonishment, Kasamatsu suddenly came right next to him and started singing as well.

_"Moshi mo ano machi no dokoka de_

_CHANSU ga tsuka mitai no nara"_

The four athletes all looked to the teen idols: to Takao and Kasamatsu who were swaying to the beat, to Kuroko who was stoically clapping in rhythm, and to Sakurai who was only vocalizing because of the item he was carrying.

_"Mada naku no niwa hayai yo ne"_

Yukio and Kazunari shared an amused glance as they flanked the silent Kise and Kagami.

_"Tada mae ni susumu shikanai wa iya iya"_

Abruptly, they all stopped and Takao suddenly elbowed Kagami's side hard.

"Ow, what the fuck?!"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAA~!"

The girls—who were silently fantasizing a while ago—had immediately snapped out of their stupor from Kagami's outburst and gleefully crowded him and Kise once again.

The athletes' opened jaws dropped even more.

Kazunari and Yukio chuckled as they moved away from the hyperactive fans clawing at the tennis player and the basketball forward. "As insulting as it seems, apparently, the school favors its athletic and academic aspect more than the musical and artistic," gestured Takao to the two tall jocks.

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on," interrupted Midorima, going into Logic Mode. "You're telling me that they _only_ go crazy for you whenever you perform?"

"Yep. That's pretty much it."

"Bullshit," voiced Shintarou and Daiki simultaneously—making them look at each other in surprise.

"Look, I know it's unrealistic, but face it, Shin-chan, this is really how things work around here," said Takao, patting the green-haired teen's cheek. Shintarou frowned at the action.

"The majority of the student body finds you guys more attractive and important than the norm," explained Kasamatsu with a roll of his eyes. "Which is why you're still the campus heartthrobs even after we debuted months ago. As much as we hate to admit it, that's the harsh truth here in Kiseki no Sedai. That's why the performing arts clubs had been warring for a while. They wanted the attention the sports clubs get from the students."

"But we can't exactly help it, you know," voiced Sakurai. "After all, there's an old school nearby that specializes in Music and Arts. The academy didn't want to compete against a renowned institute, so they decided to focus more on academics and sports instead."

"So let me see if I've got this right," said Aomine, leaning back against the stairs' handrail. "Your fans only come to you when you sing; otherwise, you're pretty much invisible to them because they chase after us all the time."

"Yes, that's the gist of it. Although, you really didn't have to imply that you're more handsome than us, Aomine-kun," replied Kuroko dryly. Aomine just laughed at his sharpness.

"I still don't believe it, but we should go. We're wasting time here," said Midorima. As the group once again prepared to leave for lunch, an indignant squawk reminded them of the gushing fangirls and the two flailing teens caught in the turmoil.

"O-Oi! Don't leave us here!" yelled Kagami, trying to push away an exuberant freshman.

"Guys, help!" shrieked a panicking Kise, leaning away from unwanted lips.

The boys all stared at the grinding mass of bodies in the middle of the hallway for a few seconds, before abruptly turning away to head upstairs.

"Weaklings."

"Shouldn't they be used to that already?"

_"GUUUUYS!"_

 

* * *

 

"The rooftop?"

The group of boys all scattered atop the large rectangular expanse of their building, looking for the perfect shade to shelter in.

"Well, duh. Where else, Shin-chan? Heaven?" retorted Takao. "Let me help you with that."

He moved towards Sakurai who was setting down the large box he had been carrying for the past few minutes. The four athletes with them idly watched as they expertly unfolded the large piece of cloth covering the box. As soon as the makeshift picnic area was settled, the brunette of the four performers proceeded to move the box in the middle and dismantle it in front of the others—revealing that the item was actually a compartment consisting of five stackable squares. It finally hit the jocks as to why they hadn't gone down to the cafeteria.

"Bento?!" exclaimed Kagami excitedly.

"Yup. Lunch is served," replied Sakurai with a smile.

Spread over the plaid-patterned blanket was several viands of different colors presented enticingly inside each square box—their delicious smell wafting towards the circle of teens. Kasamatsu had then placed his plastic bag next to the food, revealing eight soda cans of the same brand.

"Did your mom make this, Sakuraicchi?" asked Kise as he and the others sat down surrounding the decadent meals.

"Oh, no," said the brown-haired Sakurai immediately, handing them each a small bowl and a pair of chopsticks. "I did."

At his reply, four sets of stunned eyes stared at him.

"You cook?" queried Aomine, looking incredulously at the timid boy. Sure, Sakurai had a girly appearance—what with those soft-looking brown locks and large chocolate brown eyes, but he wasn't exactly expecting him to actually be able to do something every girl should know. Then again, Daiki shouldn't really be stereotyping him, seeing as...

"It's a bit hard to believe, huh?" snickered Takao—to Ryou's chagrin.

"Are you kidding me? This idiot here can make these, too," scoffed Midorima, jerking his thumb at Kagami's direction.

... his _own_ best friend can cook, too. Daiki couldn't help smirking amusedly at the surprised looks on the four Glee Club members. Neither could Ryouta and Shintarou.

"You like to cook, too, Kagami-san?" asked Ryou, offering a small but bright smile at the redhead glaring at his friends. Said redhead turned to the brunette, startled.

"Uh, y-yeah. 'Cause I live alone," replied Taiga, quirking his lips at the brunette who was starting to become more relaxed and calm. He gulped a little, though, at the sight of Kuroko staring at him intensely again. He didn't know why, but those pale blue eyes always make him feel like he's being _undressed_.

Kazunari and Yukio coughed discreetly at the redhead's reason; Ryou not failing to subtly pin them a meaningful look.

"And he also eats like a pig and never cooks for us, unlike you," added Aomine, taking off his school blazer.

"Hey, I do not! And I do, too! I mean—"

"That did not make sense at all, Tai."

"Oh, shut up!"

"Can we please eat now?"

The others all turned to Kuroko, who was waiting patiently with his bowl and chopsticks—an expressionless face put upon him. To Ryou, though, he knew the blunette was already impatient, judging by the slight puffing of his cheeks. Years of friendship made him an expert in reading one Kuroko Tetsuya, after all.

"Alright, sorry, Tetsuya-san," apologized Ryou amusedly. " _Itadakimasu!_ ", chorused the group of boys.

Ryouta and Taiga looked excitedly at the bento boxes and the canned drinks—glittering like they were waiting to be devoured. The first one was filled with fun-sized rice balls—some decorated with seaweed cut-outs. The second had tuna sashimi and shrimp tempura. Little rolled omelettes and octopus wieners were in the third one. The fourth, as side dishes, had pickled vegetables and assorted fruit slices. And the last box had a few condiment bottles inside and was where the small bowls and chopsticks came from.

"Wow, these look delicious, Sakuraicchi~!" voiced the blonde tennis player, going for a few rolled omelettes. Taiga, on the other hand, reached for a penguin-looking rice ball when suddenly, a pale hand with a pair of chopsticks snatched the one he was aiming for.

"Oi!", exclaimed the redhead, ready to steal back the little ball of rice. He stopped, though, as he realized that Kuroko was the thief and was _glaring_ at him.

At least, he _feels_ that it was a glare.

He watched as Kuroko turned away to raptly examine the penguin rice ball, before popping it into his mouth. Taiga had to blink when he suddenly saw the little blunette chew with pink-tinted cheeks. Was he actually... _blushing_?

Tetsuya swallowed before addressing the brunette next to him. "Delicious. Thank you, Ryou-kun."

Ryou laughed at Tetsuya's zealous—albeit subtle—grabbing of some sashimi and turned to a somewhat baffled basketball player. "You'll have to excuse him, Kagami-san. He was the one who requested the penguins, you see."

"Oh..." was all Taiga could say. His thoughts were cut short, though, as his stomach rumbled and urged him to eat already. He tried a few pieces of vegetables and couldn't help but smile in appreciation.

"Damn, Sakurai, you're good! You have _got_ to give me the recipe. Blue, try some!", urged the excited redhead, elbowing Aomine.

"'Blue'?" asked Takao, chewing a mouthful of shrimp.

"It's a nickname of mine," explained Daiki, reaching for some of the mini rice balls. "Like how Tai here is Red, Kise is Goldie, and Midorima's called Hamtaro."

Kazunari promptly choked, thumping his chest in respite as his whole body shook in laughter. Needless to say, he missed said Hamtaro's annoyed glare at a chewing Aomine.

"We've got other nicknames, too, but—Holy shit, this _is_ good. Not bad, kid," voiced Aomine, turning to Ryou. The brunette couldn't help but smile shyly at the compliment and mumble a 'thank you'. It doesn't seem like the soccer player is still mad at him.

"Do you seriously have to use that phrase while we're eating?" grumbled Midorima. This time, he was the one who missed Takao, Kasamatsu, and Kuroko all sharing a knowing look at the brunette and the blunette.

"Ahhh, if only Ryou-chan would marry me~! Then I'd never be hungry again~!" sighed the silvery-eyed Kazunari dramatically, leaning against the small brunette.

"No thanks, Kazunari-san," replied Ryou flatly, ignoring the raven-haired teen next to him.

"It must be really nice to get to eat Sakuraicchi's cooking every day," commented Kise, beaming a smile at the teen.

"It is," agreed Kuroko flatly.

"So you do this every lunch break?" asked Kagami, chomping on several tempura.

"Not just every lunch. Breakfast and dinner, too," answered Kasamatsu absentmindedly.

"Wait, you all live together?" asked Kise immediately, leaning towards a startled Kasamatsu Yukio.

"Not _exactly_. We only eat together 'cause Ryou-chan's cooking is amazing," replied Kazunari, chuckling at the sight of his best friend trying very hard not to grab a can of soda and hit the sparkling blonde in front of him. "By the way, how did you guys survive last night? That was a lot of fangirls, you know."

The four members of Misdirection watched in amusement as the varsity players' faces all turned aggravated.

"Yes. We _know_. Frankly, I don't want to remember," replied a grimacing Shintarou as he massaged his temples with his bandaged fingers. "But apparently, we had split up and ran for hours until we had finally lost them."

"They were very fast... and scary..." remarked Ryouta, shaking in fear. Awkwardly, Yukio tried patting him. He slightly jumped, though, as the blonde suddenly turned to him with a happy expression.

"I remember Midorima getting dogpiled," voiced Daiki nonchalantly.

"THAT WAS BECAUSE YOU PUSHED ME INTO THEM, YOU SELFISH BASTARD!"

The others burst out laughing as the green-haired teen expertly threw a can of soda at Aomine, accurately hitting his forehead—and leaving the blue-haired boy groaning in pain at the contact. Amidst the chaos, Ryou softly smiled at their picnic. Even though their groups were from different circles, he, his friends, and the athletes got along quite well, if the past interactions were anything to go by. Now he really understood why Kazunari-san had requested more food.

The brunette frowned, though, as he heard the bit about the jocks' run-in with their fans. Truthfully, he was kind of blaming himself for it, since if he hadn't freaked out too much, then maybe they wouldn't have to be subjected to the numerous rabid fangirls yesterday.

"Oh hey!" exclaimed Kise suddenly, briefly turning away from Kasamatsu. "You didn't answer my question back then!"

"Didn't we demonstrate it already?"

"But that only answered why the girls were ignoring you! I asked why you guys were called 'Misdirection'!"

"Oh, yeah. Well, you see..." started Kazunari. "You should really ask Yuu-chan."

"KAZU!"

The silver-eyed teen doubled over in laughter as the blonde Kise eagerly sat right next to an indignant Yukio. Even Kise's friends couldn't help but snort in amusement. Ryou and Tetsuya just rolled their eyes—subtly, on Tetsuya's part. Leave it to Takao Kazunari to pester his bestest friend in the whole wide world.

"W-Well, uh..." coughed Ryou, trying to get the tennis player's attention. "We actually got the idea from Tetsuya-san."

"Eh? Kurokocchi?" Everyone turned to stare at the spot where they knew the light blunette would be sitting. Miraculously, he was still there. The pale blunette silently chewed, before swallowing and speaking.

"Misdirection is a sleight of hand or a trick that is used mostly in magic acts. It is this deceiving of an audience by making them unconsciously focus on one thing to distract or divert their attention from another," explained Tetsuya clearly.

"We had joked back then that maybe Tecchan was using it," chuckled Kazunari. "Then, when we had performed for the first time, everyone's attention was on us. A lot of the popular guys were watching in the crowd, too, but not one fangirl had spoken to them during our act. Then the next day, everything was back to normal. There were some who had walked up to us, but the number was surprisingly fewer compared to the number of people who had flocked us after the show."

"That's when it hit us," continued Yukio. "Every time we perform, we can distract everyone who watches and make them only focus on us and not the school 'princes'. But this lil' magic trick of ours isn't permanent, so we can only be as popular as you guys while on-stage."

"Because of this, we also have another function as the Glee Club," voiced Tetsuya monotonously. "Since we have great impact on the audience, we serve as one of the academy's unofficial 'de-stressers'. We distract everyone from their worries for a while and let them have fun and relax during our shows."

"Hence, 'Misdirection'," concluded Takao.

"... I see. You're not just the physical evidence of the truce between the other performing arts clubs," stated Shintarou, adjusting his glasses.

"Correct, Shin-chan~!" winked the silvery blue-eyed male.

"But how come they can't do what you guys do?" asked Ryouta, frowning cutely at the thought.

"Believe it or not, most of the members there are competitive as fuck," murmured a grimacing Yukio, no longer bothered by the blonde sitting next to him. "The Drama Kings and Queens only let the rich kids act in the school plays, the Dance Troupe kicks out anyone who arrives late, and the Music Club only accepts those who had won competitions. Plus, they're too traditional and always take things way too seriously, which is why only a few students watch their performances. That's why I left and joined the Glee Club permanently. Practice was always so tense and suffocating that Kazu and I could never have any _real_ fun in our club—which was pretty much the very reason why we had joined in the first place, mind you."

The blue-eyed teen paused for a moment to take a deep breath and lean back on his hands. He closed his eyes and sighed, willing the aggravated tension in his body to go away. "... School became way more bearable to me when our group was born."

The four athletes and the other three singers were silent as the black-haired male's rant died. Ryou, Tetsuya, and Kazunari kept eating, avoiding the jocks' curious stares, while the jocks themselves couldn't help but wonder if their reasons for switching clubs were the same.

Ryouta looked between Kasamatsu and the other three, deciding on his next question, before finally turning to Yukio with a bright smile. "What club were you and Takaocchi from, Yukiocchi?"

Kazunari and Ryou looked up at the question, both looking surprised. Yukio opened his eyes and stared at the smiling blonde next to him. As intrusive as his question had sounded, Yukio couldn't find it in his heart to be annoyed at the teen, especially when his face lit up like that. Hell, he didn't even try to mind the childish nickname. The spiky-haired boy smiled back at Ryouta and replied. "The Dance Troupe. Tetsuya and Imayoshi-senpai were from the Music Club, while Ryou and Hyuga-senpai were from the Drama Club."

Daiki—who had been silently devouring his sixth omelette—suddenly stared at the brunette in astonishment. "You were an actor?"

Ryou blushed and smiled sheepishly. "N-No, not really. I was only part of the production team..."

"So they were okay with you joining the Glee Club?" asked Taiga incredulously.

"Are you kidding me?" interrupted Kazunari. "They didn't even know that he was a member until he had volunteered for the inter-club merging! Stuck-up jerks. They thought he was some worthless kid. Well, look at him now! Screw you, drama bastards who can't even act!" yelled the teen to the sky.

Ryou smiled gently at his silvery-eyed friend's defense of him. Truthfully, he hadn't really been bothered that he only had a minor role in his former club. It suited his personality just fine, after all. But when the merging was suggested, his friends had really urged him to try it and sing again and honestly, the idea of getting a little bit of attention really appealed to him. Before he knew it, he had stood alongside Hyuga-senpai and walked to where their first meeting as a group would be.

"Oh yeah," voiced Takao again; this time, calmly turning to Midorima. "I've been meaning to ask, Shin-chan. Why do you have a ball of yarn with you?"

Ryouta, Taiga, and Daiki—all sipping their own can of soda—promptly spat out and howled in laughter. Shintarou glared at them darkly while gripping his ball of yarn, before clearing his throat. "If you must know, I am a firm believer in destiny and fate, and as such, I do everything in my power to make sure that I will ha—"

"He believes in these silly horoscopes and listens to Oha-Asa every day," finished the redheaded Taiga, mockingly grinning at the twitching green-haired archer. "Man proposes, God opposes," retorted Shintarou, as if that explained everything.

"Ahhhh. So I take it that that's your lucky item for the day?" asked Kazunari knowingly, grinning amusedly at the innocent ball of yarn next to the bespectacled teen.

"Yes, it is," answered Midorima haughtily. The raven-haired teen then noticed the white bandages meticulously wrapped around the other's left hand as it held the ball. Yesterday, during their first meeting, Kazunari had immediately taken notice of it as well, though he never called it out. It was interesting, since no one ever minded or asked why the green-haired athlete had them. After all, it was as obvious as the single silver earring that Kise Ryouta was wearing. His sport could be the answer, but archery requires gloves— _Wait, hold on. Kyudo practitioners are right-handed. Then how come..._

Kazunari stared some more at the wrapped digits before finally shaking his head. He could just ask some other time. _Provided he's still not annoyed with me_ , snickered the teen.

"That's strange, Midorimacchi. How come I didn't see your lucky item yesterday?" queried Ryouta to Shintarou.

"It was a fountain pen. I placed it in my pocket."

"Well, apparently, it wasn't lucky enough," smirked Aomine.

"Says the man who had kissed another man," retorted Midorima as he sipped his soda.

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" chorused Daiki and Ryou perfectly.

Kazunari, Taiga, and Ryouta all burst out laughing at the memory and at the two's blushing faces, while Shintarou and Yukio just rolled their eyes. The rest of their little picnic on the rooftop passed by like a blur until the school bell rang.

"We have a club meeting later, alright?" said Kasamatsu, helping Sakurai in packing up all the utensils.

"Oh right... We're suspended from our clubs for a month," recalled Kagami as he picked up the empty soda cans. "Damn. I can't believe I'm actually starting to miss basketball practice with Coach. What is wrong with me?"

"You better not be blaming us for that," joked Takao.

"Nah. I'm blaming Dai for that."

"What?!" exclaimed Aomine.

"Let's all go together," interrupted Sakurai immediately, wary of the soccer player's temper. "Since you still don't know the way to the room."

As the varsity players all went inside the building, Ryou stayed behind and walked by Kazunari's side, giving him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Kazunari-san. For this, I mean." The raven-haired teen just smiled back and ruffled his friend's short brown locks.

"Anything for my adorable Ryou-chan~!" winked Takao Kazunari.

"Kazunari-san!"

 

* * *

 

When dismissal time finally came, Kise Ryouta hurriedly packed his things and grabbed Shintarou off his chair, evading all the girls who had rushed by to chat with him.

"Slow down, you idiot! Why on earth are we running?!" shouted Midorima as he fumbled with his bag while trying to keep up with the hyperactive blonde dragging him.

"We need to fetch Yukiocchi and the others!" replied Ryouta excitedly.

"I'm pretty sure they can walk just fine, Kise!"

As they neared the stairs, they found the rest of the group already together and waiting for them. "Alright~! Let's go and attend our first club meeting of the year~!" yelled Ryouta energetically.

"You're pretty happy for someone who didn't want to be suspended from the tennis team," remarked Kagami.

"That's 'cause the Glee Club is cool, and I wanna try being a part of them~!" answered the blonde enthusiastically, beaming at the four singers walking along with them. Said singers just smiled at his optimism.

"Alright, I've already been excused. I'll see you guys later," said Kasamatsu as he headed for the school gates.

"Huh? Where are you going?" asked Ryouta, looking confused.

"I need to be somewhere. Just fill me in on the details later, Kazu. And behave, you guys," replied the blue-eyed teen, gesturing to the four athletes—who only grunted. While waving goodbye to his friend, Ryou noticed that the model with them had gone a bit quiet. "Kise-san, are you alright?"

Ryouta blinked as he heard his name. Seeing that his newest brunette friend was asking him, the blonde donned his best smile. "Yeah... I'm fine, Sakuraicchi. I just thought that Yukiocchi was going with us."

"No, sorry. Yukio-san always gets out early on Fridays because he has to attend an extracurricular activity outside of school," explained Ryou.

The blonde furrowed his brows in confusion. "What kind of extracurricular activity?"

Suddenly, Takao slung an arm over the teen's shoulder. "You'll see. Let's go, guys!"

As the group of boys started walking towards the building where their clubroom was located, Ryouta looked back to where Kasamatsu Yukio had been standing a while ago and couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.

Until a joyous squeal containing the tennis player-slash-model's name pierced through the background noise and thunderous steps of approaching doom echoed in the hallway, that is.

Needless to say, the seven boys immediately hastened their journey.

 

* * *

 

After navigating through tons of shortcuts and generally avoiding the areas where Kise's fans could be lurking, the mismatched group of teens finally arrived at the infamous dance studio of the Glee Club.

"You guys are pretty early," remarked their Koganei-senpai as they entered the large room.

"That is because Kise-kun's fans tried chasing us," voiced one Kuroko Tetsuya calmly.

The four student athletes all jolted in surprise at the small blunette—less obvious jolting for said blunette's best friends. "Fucking hell, man! H-How long have you been with us?!" demanded Kagami Taiga, mentally berating himself for almost shitting his pants again.

"How mean, Kagami-kun," replied the pale blunette.

The rest of the studio's occupants just laughed. "Alright, settle down, everybody," said Hyuga Junpei, their club president. One side of the room had a series of large steps for people to sit at, so the group—consisting of the four new athletic production assistants, the members of Misdirection minus Kasamatsu, and the four band members—moved to a spot on the steps.

"Hey, where's Coach? And Momoi? And that weird flowery guy?" asked Kagami in confusion.

"Have you forgotten, Kagami-kun?" responded Imayoshi Shoichi sweetly, the strange vice-president of the club. "Your coach is on the basketball team, and Momoi-san is on the soccer team. Plus, Kiyoshi-san isn't even a member of ours."

"Oh, uh, right..." replied the redhead, still weirded out by the older teen. _Damn it... I can't believe I'm not allowed to play in school. For a month!_ lamented Taiga inwardly, still frustrated by the punishment. Glancing at the other three frowning jocks next to him, he could easily tell that they had remembered that little fact, as well.

"Hey! Sorry we're late!" said an unfamiliar voice, snapping the athletes out of their stupor.

The occupants of the room turned to the three other newcomers in blue neckties. "It's alright. Take a seat," said the president. "Before we start, to our new _slaves_..." paused Hyuga, smirking at the term. "... I'd like you to meet Kawahara, Fukuda, and Furihata. They're from Class 2-D, and they'll be joining us at some events as reps from the Music Club—meaning they're not technically one of us. But, all the same, treat them nicely. You didn't get to meet them yesterday because of the concert."

He turned to the three. "Boys, these are our new production assistants for the school year."

The athletes all exchanged pleasantries with the three newcomers while giving their introductions.

"Now then..." started Junpei. "We'll be—"

Just then, the double doors suddenly burst open, revealing a young man with ash blonde, short spiky hair and an angry expression, and one Momoi Satsuki trailing after him with ignored pleas.

" **Ahomine!** " shouted the blonde furiously, panting heavily. "What the hell is this?! Why are you suspended from the team?! Don't you know that—"

"Oh, Wakamatsu-kun! So glad you could drop by," interrupted Imayoshi.

The guy known as Wakamatsu suddenly halted in mid-sentence as he stared in abject horror at the smiling bespectacled teen—his once red face turning white as a sheet. In the span of three seconds, the guy quickly exited the studio, dragging the stunned Momoi with him.

Everybody was left staring at the doors.

"... What the fuck was that about?" voiced 'Ahomine' Daiki, blinking in confusion.

"Trust me, Aomine-kun. You don't wanna know," warned Tsuchida-senpai. Next to him, the others were stifling their laughter.

"Why was Wakamatsu-senpai after you?" asked a chuckling Kazunari.

"'Cause he's the captain of the soccer team," shrugged the dark-skinned blunette, knowing the simple statement would explain everything.

"Huh... We didn't know that," murmured Ryou.

"But wait, how come you all know who he was?"

The members of the Glee Club all turned to their vice-president—who was still smiling strangely at the double doors. Then, they looked back at the soccer player.

Daiki decided to leave it at that.

" **Anyway** ," coughed Hyuga. "Today, we'll be discussing the next activity for our club this year. But first, a little feedback from the newbies. How'd you find the concert, guys?"

"It was amazing~!" answered Ryouta immediately.

"Entertaining, at the most," replied Shintarou curtly, a bit annoyed at being called 'newbie'.

"Aw, come on, Shin-chan! You can do better than that~!" teased Kazunari. Shintarou openly glowered at the teen. Kazunari just grinned.

"Kagami? Aomine?" continued the president.

"It was pretty cool. But we're definitely gonna have to get used to all those girls," admitted Taiga, shuddering a bit at the memory of last night.

"You got that right," agreed Daiki.

"Well, consider yourselves _lucky_ you survived last night's ordeal. But in any case, don't worry about them too much. Just do your job, alright?" said their Hyuga-senpai.

"What _is_ our job, Senpai?" asked Kise.

"Glad you asked. As our production team, you are all tasked with the technicalities in our club. Meaning, we're the front and you're the backbone. These things include promoting, advertising, planning, reserving equipment and props, scheduling, and the like. And as you can see, we're in need of all that badly."

The athletes couldn't help but agree. Technically, there were only ten permanent members of the Glee Club—six of which are the real performers and the other four for the instruments. And like their bespectacled senior said, the three guys who came in were only representatives from another club. If the academy would be requiring them to show up in every concert they'll have, the Glee Club would _definitely_ need a hand.

And strangely enough, the boys were now starting to understand why the Principal and Koga-sensei had assigned them here.

"Since this is obviously your first time, we'll just give you a checklist of all your responsibilities. Don't hesitate to ask for other details if you're feeling unsure, alright? Oh, and I'm assigning Midorima as your leader," added Hyuga.

"Obviously," chorused Aomine, Kagami, and Kise. Midorima just looked to the heavens.

"Now," said the president. "We'll be appearing on a _lot_ of events this time. There's the Sports Festival, the Cultural Festival, Christmas, and Valentine's, to name a few. I'll post the schedule in our board later for everyone to see. But for today, we'll be discussing our act on the upcoming fundraising concert this June."

He took a folding chair and sat on it with the backrest in front of him. "Now here's the thing: I've got good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?"

The boys all looked at each other in confusion and worry. Then, Kazunari spoke up warily. "What's the good news?"

"Good news: we get free meals for that day," answered Junpei. Daiki and Taiga both perked up.

"And the bad news...?" asked Ryou hesitantly.

Junpei sighed in defeat. "We have to perform K-Pop songs."

Kazunari and Ryou both gave loud groans of agony as the rest of the group grimaced in sympathy. "Seriously?!" moaned Kazunari as he slumped backwards, clutching his head.

"Sorry, guys. The fans requested it," replied Junpei.

"I'm starting to regret joining you all," admitted Ryou, a passive Tetsuya patting his back in consolation.

"How many do we have to sing?" asked Imayoshi Shoichi, no longer staring at where the horrified soccer captain had been standing a while ago.

"Six," answered a grimacing Junpei. Kazunari and Ryou groaned even louder. "Yuu-chan's not gonna like this..." said the silver-eyed male.

"Relax, the songs will be the ones we had learned during our spring break," added the president.

At that, the singers sighed a little in relief. The bespectacled Hyuga stood up and collected some papers that were lying on a nearby desk. "We'll start practicing everyday next week from dismissal time up to 8 p.m., then 8 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturdays. As always, be on time, bring extra clothes and water, and never forget your music sheets. I'll send the song and video files to your e-mails tonight for you to review over the weekend."

He handed several music sheets to Imayoshi, Kuroko, Sakurai, and Takao—including Kasamatsu's copy to his silvery-eyed best friend's. The four immediately lost themselves in the various notes and rests.

"Now, you guys..." started Hyuga, addressing the rest of the guys with a stern expression. "Just because you're not in Misdirection and won't be practicing doesn't mean that you're free to slack off and skip club meetings—although, of course, you don't have to attend our Saturday practices."

"Huh? But I thought Koganei-senpai, Izuki-senpai, Tsuchida-senpai, and Mitobe-senpai were a part of the Glee Club," voiced Kise in confusion. The four band members all stared in awe at the blonde, amazed that he actually remembered all their names.

"Well yes, they're members of our club, but that doesn't mean they're in Misdirection, you know," answered the president, cocking his eyebrow at the blonde. When Ryouta still looked confusion, Izuki decided to step in.

"What he means, Kise-kun, is that 'Misdirection' only applies to Prez, Vice-Prez, Takao, Kasamatsu, Kuroko, and Sakurai-kun. It's their stage name, you see. As for us..." said Izuki, gesturing to himself, Koganei, Mitobe, and Tsuchida. "Our band's name is called 'Sei Rin Sanctum'."

"Ohhh... That sounds so cool~!" gushed Kise, clearly amazed. The others just chuckled at his enthusiasm.

Hyuga cleared his throat. "Well anyway, I expect you all to be present on Monday. Tsuchida, Izuki—you'll be teaching Midorima and the others about equipment handling and storing. Show them the ropes on being a stagehand, alright? As for you, Fukuda, and your friends..." he turned to the Music Club representatives who were seated next to Kuroko and Sakurai. "Since the Music Club doesn't need you guys yet, I'll be requiring you to attend, as well. You'll be teaching our production assistants about production work and just be a general help to your upperclassmen."

"Yes, Senpai!" chorused Kawahara Koichi, Fukuda Hiroshi, and Furihata Kouki excitedly.

"Well, that's that. You're dismissed!" announced the president. The boys all eagerly collected their belongings and filed out of the dance studio.

"Monday practice, alright?" reminded Hyuga as he and Imayoshi walked home together. All the others waved goodbye as each separated outside the school gates.

Kazunari stretched noisily, admiring the orange-tinted sky above. A large grin then split upon his face as he remembered a very important fact: It was time to pick up his best friend.

Tetsuya lightly tapped his shoulder. "Are we going to buy milkshakes yet?"

"Later, Tetsu-chan. We gotta pick up Yuu-chan first," replied Kazunari. "Oi, Kise~! Wanna come with us~?"

Kise stopped chatting with an embarrassed-looking Sakurai and regarded the raven-haired teen with a curious expression. "Why? Where are you going?"

"To where your 'Yukiocchi' is," grinned Kazunari. He knew the blonde was coming the moment that surprised gasp escaped him.

 

* * *

 

"I still don't understand why _I_ had to come."

"Oh, shush, Shin-chan. You need to get out more."

"But we could be having dinner right now, ya know."

"And milkshakes."

"And burgers, too."

"Alright, everybody just _shut up_. We're almost there."

"C-Calm down, Kazunari-san..."

"Ah! Is this where Yukiocchi is~?"

After having walked towards commercial stores, crowded streets, and generally just yapping each other off because Kise had forced his friends to come, the mismatched group finally arrived at a large building.

"... 'Kaijo Mixed Martial Arts School'?" read Ryouta, staring up at the sign on the facade of the building. Before he could comment further, though, he and the other jocks were immediately ushered and pushed inside the place by the three singers with them.

Entering the gymnasium-like place, they were greeted with the sight of several men and women sparring in mats or with dummies. The battle cries of pain, anger, and iron will echoed throughout the large studio, making the small group of boys realize just how many people were training inside today. There were fighters and coaches inside the boxing rings, students dueling with punching bags, and other people just stretching along the sidelines. As Takao, Sakurai, and Kuroko casually walked past them all, the jocks couldn't help but gaze in awe at all the athletes around. Each would demonstrate a distinctly different kind of fighting style, reminding them of the sign outside the building. Some were very muscular, some were just lean; some glanced at them with curiosity, some even waved at the singers walking in front. Aomine had been shamefully ogling at a few women, until a hulking one walked by and made him shudder in fear.

Finally reaching a large mat in the middle of the floor, Takao tapped Kise's shoulder and jerked his head in the direction of a group of training adolescents. "Prince Charming's over there."

Ryouta cocked his head in confusion at the nickname, but nonetheless, looked to scan the crowd on the mat. And gawked at the scene.

There—in the middle of all the kicking and punching guys—was Kasamatsu Yukio himself, expertly blocking and attacking against his opponents.

Shintarou, Daiki, and Taiga gawked along with the blonde tennis player.

A guy quickly charged at the black-haired teen, jumping to deliver a kick. Yukio simply swatted the foot away and pushed the guy into the next attacker. He then got down and swiped his foot to trip the next two guys. Two strong arms locked his head in a grapple, but with little struggle, Yukio had thrown him forward and escaped. Quickly getting up, he did a series of kicks and elbow strikes to a rushing opponent. As the guy stumbled in disorientation, Yukio didn't hesitate and aggressively landed a strong one on the guy's stomach.

The other guys—who were still standing—all paled and immediately stepped away from the black-haired martial artist as his poor victim crumpled to the ground and groaned in pure agony. Those who were sitting on the sidelines also hissed in sympathy.

"You call that fighting?!" barked Yukio, whirling around to glare heatedly at the newbies he had been sparring with. "I've seen dogs kick better than that! Where's your form? Your technique?! Stop trying to be little girls and just fucking _apply_ it, you morons!"

"Moriyama! Kobori!" shouted the blue-eyed teen to the bench, where three other boys sat watching the scene. "What the _hell_ have you been teaching these idiots?! Didn't I tell you that they have to be ready when I come in to kick their asses today?! Look at them!"

The two named Moriyama—short black hair and pointy eyes—and Kobori—tall dude with spiky black hair—stared at the limping and groaning new students on the floor next to their fellow fighter, Kasamatsu. "Well, one thing's for sure. You _definitely_ kicked their asses," replied Moriyama bluntly. Kobori and the rest who were watching—including Kazunari, Ryou, and Tetsuya—snorted in laughter.

Yukio narrowed his eyes at the male. "You forced them to join you in looking for girls, didn't you?" accused the blue-eyed martial artist. Moriyama just coughed and chuckled nervously.

Yukio just rolled his eyes and grunted loudly in exasperation. "Hayakawa!" he barked.

The third guy on the bench quickly jumped out of his seat and stood stiffly. "Yes, Senpai?!"

"Front and center!"

"YES, SENPAI!"

Hayakawa—a short kid with dark brown hair and a 'Bring it on!' expression—eagerly followed his senior and did a fighting stance. "Oh, man, I am so ready! Let's do this, senpai! I am so, so, _so_ —"

"Yeah, yeah, just shut up and hit me." Yukio did his own stance and beckoned the teen with one hand.

"HYAAAAAAAAAH!" Hayakawa swiftly rushed to the black-haired male and a combo with punches, kicks, and elbow thrusts. Yukio expertly blocked and redirected each, then counterattacked with hand jabs, knee thrusts, and roundhouse kicks. Grunts and yells both came from the two as they kept up with increasing speed and accuracy. The new students could only watch in awe. Moriyama and Kobori just shook their heads in amusement.

Meanwhile, Kise, Midorima, Kagami, and Aomine were still gawking and staring wide-eyed. In Ryouta's case, it was because of the total _epic-ness_ Yukiocchi was displaying right now. In the other three's case, though, it was because they realized that one of the members of the geeky Glee Club known as Kasamatsu Yukio was actually a badass motherfucker. They all gaped some more as the two martial artists sparred.

Yukio managed to land a hit on the zealous brunette, and as soon as he was stumbling, the blue-eyed teen swiftly rushed forward and punched the guy's stomach. Hayakawa wheezed in pain and gently clutched his abdomen as he let himself fall sideways. "T-That was awesome, S-Senpai!" he shouted, tears pooling in his eyes but still admiring the blue-eyed teen above him.

Everyone cringed at the sight. But not Kise Ryouta. How could he? After all, the only thing he was looking at right now was the gorgeous profile of one Kasamatsu Yukio. There he was, leaning on one foot as he wiped sweat off his brow and panted heavily. Ryouta couldn't stop staring at the black beater, blue shorts, and wrist and ankle protectors the black-haired teen was sporting—showing off his lean limbs and flawless skin. He couldn't even stop staring at the sweat-drenched face of the guy. Nor at those intense and steel blue eyes of his.

_... The spiky-haired boy smiled back at Ryouta and replied..._

The blonde blushed at the sudden memory from lunchtime and could feel his heart racing from the adrenaline rush. No longer able to contain his glee and excitement, Ryouta rushed forward and yelled at the top of his voice. "YUKIOCCHIIIIIIIII~!"

Yukio halted in his steps as he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He slowly turned around to find the source of the noise. "What the fu—Oomph!"

The blue-eyed teen quickly fell backwards as a bouncing blonde ball of energy collided against him and hugged the living daylights out of him. Shocked, their audience could only gape first, before finally bursting into a fit of unabashed laughter. Yukio's best friends, along with Ryouta's, all chortled at the scene—which was Yukio flailing out of Ryouta's grip. Yukio's fellow students at the MMA school tried to hide their giggles. Moriyama and Kobori, on the other hand, were clapping.

As soon as his friends were laughing their asses off, Yukio finally realized that his attacker was none other than Kise Ryouta himself—also belatedly realizing that his friends had come for a visit and dragged the academy's heartthrobs along. He flailed and tried pushing him off—which only made the blonde hold on tighter and keep gushing at him.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh~! Yukiocchi, you were so amazing back there~! The way you punched that guy and—"

"Kise, get off! Just—Fucking hell! KAZUNARI! STOP LAUGHING AND HELP ME! WHY THE HELL IS HE EVEN HE— **WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU TWO CLAPPING?!** "

Everyone just laughed even harder. "We've been standing here for five minutes already, but you only notice us when Kise glomps you? That hurts, Yuu-chan," joked Kazunari, wiping a tear of joy.

"SHUT UP! KISE, GET OFF, DAMMIT!"

"NOOOO! YOU WERE SO COOL, YUKIOCCHI~!"

"CAN'T YOU JUST SAY THAT WITHOUT HAVING TO CRUSH ME?!"

As the seconds tick by, Yukio started getting more and more agitated by the babbling blonde and their current position. Until finally, he snapped.

Kazunari sobered up from his laughter as he recognized that seemingly-calm look of his best friend. "Oh boy. Here we go," he announced. Everyone else who personally knew Kasamatsu Yukio quieted down as they understood his words—leaving only the jocks in confusion.

"Three..." counted Kazunari.

Ryouta kept babbling and wiggling. Yukio's eye twitched.

"Two..."

Ryouta kept gushing about the blue-eyed teen's awesome moves. Said blue-eyed teen's eye twitched some more. He closed his eyes.

"One."

He opened them. And promptly gutted the blonde tennis player with a right upper-cut.

Several moments later, Kise Ryouta lay curled on his side next to Hayakawa, nursing his stomach but still praising his Yukiocchi, while an irate Kasamatsu Yukio sat on the bench next to Moriyama and Kobori, angrily gulping down water.

"I know it's bit too late to ask..." murmured Kagami to Takao. "But, is he always like this?", he asked, gesturing to the angry-looking Kasamatsu.

"Nah," answered Kazunari, chuckling. "Only when he's had a bad day. Am I right on that, Moriyama?"

"Yep," replied the black-haired teen next to Kasamatsu. "The new guys weren't up to his standards, so he's been really pissed ever since they started training today."

"Whose fault do you think that is?" retorted Yukio, glaring at the teen.

"Still, you're so awesome, Yukiocchi~!" coughed Kise, still brightly smiling at the glowering teen even though his stomach hurt like hell. "Who would've thought you actually practice martial arts and attended this school?"

"I know, right? Senpai's amazing!" agreed Hayakawa enthusiastically. He bowed—more like curled forward—at the blonde. "Name's Hayakawa Mitsuhiro, Kasamatsu-senpai's kouhai here at Kaijo! What's your name?"

"Kise Ryouta, Yukiocchi's schoolmate back at Kiseki no Sedai Academy~! Nice to meet you, Hayakawa-san~!" replied Ryouta, bowing as well even though they were both lying on the floor.

"You were pretty awesome, too, Kise-kun," remarked Moriyama as he and Kobori squatted down near the two. At the blonde's confused look, they chuckled and helped them in sitting up. "You're probably the first to actually bring Kasamatsu down."

The new students stifled their laughter as the memory was brought up. Until Yukio pinned them all with a withering glare, that is.

"I'm Moriyama Yoshitaka and this is Kobori Kouji. Nice to see someone else here besides Takao, Kuroko, and Sakurai," said the black-haired teen, waving at the three other unfamiliar faces next to Yukio's friends.

"Don't mind the Captain. He's just like that. Although you really should behave more around him," commented Kobori.

"'Captain'?" asked Ryouta.

"Kasamatsu, I mean. It's not exactly a title of his. It's just a nickname for him. 'Cause if we were actually a sports club in a school, then Kasamatsu would definitely become the captain," explained Kobori, smiling at the blonde.

"No, I wouldn't..." protested Yukio.

"Yes, you would," interjected a deep voice. "You're skilled, Kasamatsu-kun. Plus, you're a natural-born leader. If you were to join the Karate Club, you'd be the captain in no time."

Everyone turned to the owner of the voice. The Kiseki no Sedai athletes had to do a double-take.

"Takeuchi-sensei?!" said Midorima incredulously. Takeuchi Genta himself—their portly Japanese History teacher—was standing next to them inside a Mixed Martial Arts school several blocks from the academy.

"Midorima-kun, good to see you," greeted the large man. "I didn't realize you knew this place."

"This is our first time here, sir. But what about you, Sensei? What are you doing here?"

The rotund teacher just shrugged. "I'm the Karate Club's adviser. Plus, some of my students train here, so I come now and then to check on their progress, since the coaches here are old friends of mine."

"And you also keep on trying to draft me into your club," joked Yukio, putting his hands on his hips.

Takeuchi-sensei just laughed. "I can't help it, you know. You're one of the best students here, and you're a student at the academy, too. But, yes, I know, you already declined my offer ages ago, so I'm not going to pester you anymore. Just wanted to see your matches against my students, that's all."

"Well, the members of the Karate Club are brilliant, sir—if that's any consolation," remarked Yukio with a grin. He whirled around to face his fellow apprentices. "Who said you idiots could slack off?! I want you all sparring right now, you morons! Train and listen to your seniors, you hear me?!"

"SIR, YES, SIR!" shouted all the new students.

"At ease, Kasamatsu. This is a martial arts school, not the military," chuckled another deep voice. An old man stood next to Takeuchi and smiled at the blue-eyed teen.

"Well, how the hell do you expect me to deal with these nutjobs, Coach?" asked Yukio.

"Like this," replied the coach. "Ahem. **GIVE ME 50 FUCKING LAPS, YA DINGBATS!** "

" **Y-Y-Y-Y-YES, COACH!** "

The athletes of Kiseki no Sedai Academy stared in awe as the newbies of Kaijo Mixed Martial Arts School suddenly ran around the gym like their lives depended on it.

Yukio gave his coach a knowing grin. "Now _that's_ how you do it," said the old man.

Takeuchi-sensei chuckled. "That sounds so familiar, you know," he said, turning to the blue-eyed teen. Yukio just shrugged. "What can I say? I learned from the best."

Kise stood right next to Yukio. "You're so awesome, Yukio—"

Kasamatsu promptly punched him in the stomach again. The blonde's friends rushed over as Ryouta crumpled to the floor once again. "Goldie? You alright, man?" asked Aomine, patting the blonde's cheek.

"I swear, you never learn, Kise," reprimanded Midorima. Ryouta just unconsciously sighed in bliss.

"I think he'll be fine, Midorima-kun," voiced Kuroko as they all stared at the tennis player-slash-model smiling strangely.

"Y-Yukio-san, that was too harsh..." frowned Sakurai, trying to placate the martial artist. Said martial artist just gave him an unbelieving look.

"Anyways, you're free to go, Kasamatsu-kun," said the coach. "Sorry you had to train those greenhorns today."

"No worries, Coach. It's part of the experience," replied Yukio. He clapped Kazunari's and Ryou's shoulder and jogged towards the locker room. "I'll just freshen up and get my stuff."

With Takeuchi-sensei and the old coach moving away to chat, the group of singers and jocks were left with Kasamatsu's colleagues. "So..." started Moriyama. "You guys in the Glee Club, too?"

Kagami turned away from his cringing blonde friend to address the black-haired teen. "Well, not exactly, but yeah, we're working for the Glee Club for now."

"They got into trouble. The punishment was working for us," explained Kazunari to Moriyama. "That's Kagami, that's Aomine over there, and this here is Shin-chan!"

"Midorima, actually," corrected Shintarou, glowering at the silvery-eyed teen. Moriyama and Kobori just laughed as Kazunari wiggled his brows at the green-haired teen.

"Moriyama-san? Kobori-san?" murmured a gravelly voice. The two martial artists looked down to find Kise Ryouta staring at them with a pained expression. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your sport exactly? You know, _specifically_ , I mean."

The two—along with a grinning Hayakawa—stared at each other before beaming at the blonde. "I'm an Aikido practitioner, Kise-kun," answered Moriyama.

"I do Judo mainly," said Kobori.

"And I'm a Muay Thai fighter!" replied Hayakawa, pumping his fist in the air.

"Cool~!" commented Ryouta, amazed at Yukiocchi's fellow fighters.

"Alright, let's go." Kasamatsu reappeared; this time, already showered and in casual clothes.

"That was fast," remarked Kagami.

"Of course it was. I can't let _this_ idiot spread lies about me, after all," retorted the steel blue-eyed teen, pointing his thumb at Takao as he finger-combed his damp hair.

"I love you, too, Yuu-chan," replied Kazunari dryly, rolling his eyes at the male.

"Yukiocchi?"

Yukio stared down at the blonde lying on the floor, holding his stomach. "What martial art do you do, exactly?"

"He had asked us our specialty," clarified Moriyama, shrugging at the blue-eyed teen when he was given a questioning look.

"Oh," said Yukio. Frankly, he really didn't want to hurt the guy, seeing as they've only known each other for about two days, but with today's mishap plus Kise Ryouta annoying the hell out of him, it was very safe to say that the blonde idiot really deserved those two upper-cuts—one way or another. Plus, this was a good way in establishing a boundary between them. Like seriously, it was as if the guy didn't even know the meaning of 'personal space'! Yukio now definitely understood why Midorima always looked like he wanted to ditch the tennis player.

But now, gazing at the teen—with his golden amber eyes and that bright smile—Yukio felt the sudden urge to smile back at him and be cordial once again. _I guess it wouldn't hurt to answer, at least..._

The blue-eyed boy squatted down and offered a hand. "Well, since this is a Mixed Martial Arts School, of course I know a lot of them, but mainly..." he paused, getting up and pulling the blonde along with him. "... I'm a Taekwondo kickboxer," replied Yukio, offering a small smile at the blonde.

Ryouta's smile grew as he gazed at the blue-eyed teen, wobbling a little at the rush of blood. "That's so cool... Not only can you sing and dance, you can kick butts, too~!"

Yukio just chuckled. "Well, yeah, but this is only a hobby of mine. Which is why I never joined the Karate Club at our school. By the way, why are you guys here?" They started to leave the building; Yukio waving goodbye to his colleagues and reprimanding some of the newbies on the way.

"You said that we'll see you later, remember?" informed Kazunari with a smug look.

"I was expecting _you three_. I wasn't expecting them to show up, too," snapped Yukio, glowering at the grinning teen.

"Well, whatever. We're here now, and we should go home."

"So you're pretty good in a fight, huh?" asked Aomine as they neared the exit. "I wonder if Sakurai here can match up against you. He packs a wallop, you know."

Kasamatsu and Takao halted in their steps... before bursting into laughter. The jocks—especially Aomine—looked a bit confused. Sakurai, on the other hand, looked mightily embarrassed.

"What the hell is so funny?" queried Daiki, raising a brow.

"He punched you, didn't he?" said Yukio, gasping for air as he kept laughing. When the dark-skinned athlete just looked surprised, Kuroko decided to explain.

"Yukio-kun was the one who taught us self-defense. According to him, Ryou-kun would have to be his best student out of the three of us," said the blunette.

"He's got the best reflexes, I'll tell ya that!" added the blue-eyed teen.

"Oh god, now I get why your jaw looked so bruised!" laughed Takao, leaning against the doors of the building. Daiki and Ryou—both blushing from shame—hurriedly exited the place, while the rest of their friends—all snickering except in Yukio and Kazunari's case—just slacked behind.

"So why'd you do it, Ryou?" asked Yukio, still chuckling.

The brunette took a deep breath, trying to will away the heat on his face. "I panicked. I made a mistake. It was an accident. And I already apologized. So stop laughing and let's just leave it at that." He briskly turned and walked away, Aomine following suit—but not before glaring at his snickering friends.

They walked for a few moments, before the soccer player suddenly spoke up with a grin. "Well, I can't exactly say you punch like a girl."

"A-Aomine-san!"

Daiki just chuckled at the flustered teen. Behind them, they could hear the sounds of Kasamatsu and Takao still laughing.

"Oh, yeah, Yuu-chan. We'll be singing K-Pop songs next time~!"

"WHAT?!"

"Are we going to buy milkshakes now?"

 

* * *

 

Taiga inserted the amount of money needed inside the vending machine's slot and pressed the number of the drink he wanted. After collecting his and the others' cans, he walked towards his friends, where they were already lounging about in a bench while gazing at the beautiful scenery of the entire city bathed in the red orange of the setting sun. The four Glee Club members had already parted with them when they came across an intersection.

"Maaaan... What a day," said Daiki, stretching his arms upwards.

"Not bad for the first Friday of the school year, if I may say so myself," remarked Shintarou.

"I'm getting hungry," voiced their redheaded friend, tossing the two their drinks. "Let's go to Maji Burgers!"

"We _always_ go to Maji Burgers," retorted the green-haired archer, reflexively catching his can and opening it. "You should be thankful Akashi's alright with the place, what with us not being as rich as he is."

"Oh yeah, where _is_ Akashi? I haven't seen him all week—and that's a miracle, you know. And Murasakibara, too. Where the hell are those guys?" asked the tall power forward.

"Have you forgotten already? Akashi went back home. He needed to oversee his family's company immediately, due to some problems with their contracts. Murasakibara went with him, since their families are business partners. They'll probably be back after a few more weeks," reminded Shintarou.

"Lucky bastards," interjected Daiki, taking a sip of his drink.

"Oh, right. He mentioned that before school started," commented Kagami.

"Don't tell me you forgot about Himuro being away, too?" mocked the green-haired teen. To which the redheaded Taiga vehemently protested.

"Of course not! I was there to see him off at the airport when he had to go back to the States for a while, you know!"

Shintarou just rolled his eyes. "At least you remembered that one."

The basketball forward glared at him, before his soccer ace best friend posed a question. "Tsuya will be back in a few weeks, too , right?" asked Daiki.

"Yeah. Just gotta take care of some family matters, too, like Akashi," answered Taiga. The three fell silent as they continued with their drinks, appreciating the view of the city.

"... They're gonna flip when they get back," voiced Taiga knowingly, referring to their suspension. Shintarou and Daiki silently agreed.

Suddenly, a low rumbling could be heard. "Okay, now I really _am_ hungry," announced the redhead. "Let's go!"

As the three turned to leave, the dark-skinned Daiki noticed their blonde friend still staring into the distance. "Oi, Kise! You coming?" he called. But the blonde just stood silently, leaning against the railing as he stared far away into the scenery.

The three glanced at each other, wondering what on earth was wrong with the hyperactive teen. He had been quiet the whole time, ever since they had split up with the other four Second-Years. Finally, Ryouta spoke up.

"Guys... I..." paused Ryouta hesitantly, pushing away from the railing. "... I think I'm in love."

The three other jocks—who had been sipping away, waiting for a reply—promptly spat out their drinks. At gaped at the blonde. After several moments, Shintarou was the first to find his voice.

"… Oh, you have _got_ be fucking kidding me."

 

* * *

_To be continued..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please.


	4. Kuroko no Matchmaking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ... *ahem*

_Previously..._

" _~I RAABU YUU, BAAAAAAABEEEEE~ ANDO IFU ITSU KUWAAITE ARURAA_ —"

" **KISE, GET DOWN FROM THERE! AND WILL YOU STOP SINGING IN ENGLISH?!** "

"... Why do I get the feeling that he's gonna drag us into something again...?"

"Tai, this is _Goldilocks_ we're talking about. He _always_ drags us into something when he's got that look in his eyes."

* * *

 

The Exaggeratedly Perilous Journey of a Gay High School Romance

Chapter 4: Kuroko no Matchmaking

 

* * *

 

Once upon a time, the relentless sound of the chiming doorbell suddenly assaulted Kuroko Tetsuya's poor ears one early Saturday morning. Needless to say, the blunette was _irked_.

He had been sleeping peacefully in his beloved bed and dreaming of wondrous things—a.k.a. milkshakes—when suddenly, the doorbell rang. At first, it was just a sudden alert of a visitor at the door for him—the sound just making the pale boy moan half-consciously underneath his blanket. But as minutes passed, the chiming got louder and faster, and suddenly, knocks on his front door could now be heard, as well. Even his beloved Nigou joined in and started barking at him. Tetsuya had ignored it all—preferring to block out the noises with his pillow and shift restlessly in his bed—until finally, he couldn't take it anymore. The pale teen sighed and got out onto the cold wooden floor. He groggily glanced at the digital clock on his bedside table while rubbing his eye.

 _6:08_ _am._

The blunette groaned softly and sleepily trudged his way towards the front door, Nigou excitedly following behind. Muttering inwardly about "fricking six in the morning", "raping his doorbell", and "what kind of an idiot would go and visit at this ungodly hour on a lovely _Saturday_?", the seemingly-harmless Kuroko Tetsuya finally reached the wooden entrance to his two-bedroom apartment without bumping into all of his furniture. Along the way, he concluded that the visitor was _definitely_ not a friend of his. Everyone who had come to his place—meaning his friends—would always find out the fact that he—the mysterious member of Misdirection and ex-member of the Music Club—was always irritable in the morning when he lacked sleep. And yes, he definitely lacked sleep right now. After all, the blunette had diligently reviewed the songs and dance videos for their next show last night. Plus, his friends knew that he always slept late on weekends, just like every normal, not-busy human being—since their academy only holds optional club activities on Saturdays and not regular classes, like other schools in Japan. So in conclusion, the person on the other side of the door was definitely not a _friend_ ; the person on the other side of the door was an _idiot_.

Tetsuya had the sudden urge to jab someone's stomach.

Said urge became stronger as he stared at the shaking door. He could faintly hear the visitor's voice calling his name. At least, it _seemed_ to be his name. Throwing a tired glance at the rambunctious pet on the floor next to him, the blunette opened the door.

There stood the unlikeliest group of young men he had never imagined visiting him so soon.

"Oh, Kurokocchi~! Good morning~!"

"See?! I told he was still sleeping!"

"Not anymore, thanks to _this_ idiot."

"Seriously, Goldie, couldn't this have _waited_? It's fucking _six o' clock on a Saturday morning_."

Kuroko Tetsuya _really_ wanted to jab someone's stomach now.

 

* * *

 

_One hour ago..._

Kise Ryouta—tennis prodigy of Kiseki no Sedai Academy, part-time model, and one of the most handsome bachelors in his school—happily rang the doorbell to his beloved friend Midorima Shintarou's large house. He stood at the gate, lightly swaying to ward off the early morning chill and humming as he waited for one of the Midorimas to greet him.

To others, it would probably be a bit odd to see such an energetic-looking young man patiently waiting outside at such an early hour, and not actually wearing a school uniform at that. But to those familiar with the blonde, they wouldn't even bat an eyelash at the demeanor, especially if they found out the reason as to why the model was there in the first place. Ryouta blushed at the memory of steel-blue eyes penetrating his entire soul and the spine-tingling laugh that had been directed at him yesterday. He was in love; that was pretty much it.

He was in love with Kasamatsu Yukio.

HE WAS **IN LOVE WITH KASAMATSU YUKIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO** —

_A-Ahem! M-Mustn't get carried away now! Focus, Ryouta! Focus!_

The blonde stood rigidly for a few seconds, before...

 _KYAAAAAAAAAAA~!_ _**YUKIOCCHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII~!** _

Ryouta happily squealed and hugged himself in giddiness. Oh, those wonderful eyes~! That gorgeous smile~! Those awesome moves~! And those _taut muscles_ ~! Oh, how generous of God to bestow this perfect creature unto him~!

 _And not to mention... he's so thoughtful and kind..._ added Ryouta further, reminiscing as to how the black-haired teen had been such a knight-in-shining-armor when they first met last year at his tennis match. The blonde then suddenly blushed a cute shade of pink at the memory. "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~!" he squealed again, gushing heatedly about how amazing his Yukiocchi was and wriggling in delight. The few passers-by walking near him slightly jumped at the sound and all gave the blonde strange looks as roses and hearts suddenly floated around him—not that said blonde even noticed.

Suddenly, the front door of the house opened, revealing a middle-aged woman with short brown locks and a sweet demeanor. "Ah, Kise-kun~! Good morning!" welcomed the woman, opening the gate for the young man.

"Good morning, Auntie~!" replied Ryouta, bowing at the woman. "You're up early today~! I was expecting your son to be the one to answer," he commented, noticing how fully awake Midorima's mother looked.

"Well, of course! I had to make breakfast for my husband. He has a business trip somewhere far today, you see," responded Mrs. Midorima, smiling sweetly at the blonde model. "But what about you, dearie? Why so early? Do you and Shintarou have practice later?"

Ryouta grinned happily, remembering the reason as to why he was even here. He was about to relate his plans for today, when suddenly, the front door opened once again—this time, revealing a fully-dressed and irate Midorima Shintarou, panting and twitching in aggravation.

" **Kise! You little** —!" he started shouting, but suddenly held himself back and just hurriedly snatched the blonde's arm instead. He then turned to the brown-haired woman and stooped down to kiss her cheek. "We'll be going now, Mother. If you'll excuse us," he spat out irritably, glaring at the grinning tennis player.

"Oh, you're not going to have breakfast?" asked his mother, still smiling sweetly despite her son's unseemly manners at greeting a friend.

"Don't worry, we'll be eating somewhere else, right after I get my _lucky item_ for today," said Shintarou pleasantly; a contrast to him squeezing hard on the blonde idiot's arm as a warning. Ryouta's grin, surprisingly, didn't falter in the slightest.

"Alright, then. Be careful, honey~! You, too, Kise-kun~!" replied Mrs. Midorima, waving at the two teens as she closed the gate after them.

"Bye, Auntie~!" shouted Ryouta back, waving animatedly. Once they had passed by a few houses, Midorima Shintarou finally snapped.

"Have you gone insane, Kise?! Do you even know what _time_ it is right now?! Just because we've been suspended from our clubs and aren't required to attend practice today doesn't mean that you can just take away our precious time!"

Ryouta just smiled sweetly at his irate friend. "I know what you did last summer~."

A tense silence surrounded the two young men, regardless of the peaceful atmosphere of the brightening sky in the middle of the empty street. After several moments of eye-twitching and teeth-clenching, Shintarou finally let out a resigned sigh.

"May I ask: why are we friends again?" gritted the green-haired teen, massaging his right temple. His blonde companion flashed another bright smile.

"You've been asking that question a lot lately, Midorimacchi~."

"Yes, because I'm starting to wonder what ever happened to my sanity all those years ago when I helped you."

"Ah, but it's not my fault you agreed to be my best-est friend in the whole wide world~!"

"I swear to God, I am going to kill Himuro for teaching you how to blackmail..." muttered Shintarou lowly, reluctantly following his idiot of a best friend. Amongst their circle of friends consisting of himself, Kise, Aomine, Kagami, Kagami's surrogate brother, and the fricking Student Council President of Kiseki no Sedai Academy and his gargantuan lapdog, said fricking Student Council President was the more expected person of such blackmailing behavior—or well, at least, behavior that made his own friends scared for their lives. When Shintarou met Kise Ryouta, he wasn't anywhere _near_ the blonde teen Shintarou was conversing with a while ago. But when Kise Ryouta met Himuro Tatsuya... well, let's just say Akashi Seijuurou was damn proud of the bouncing ball of sunshine now.

 _The friends I keep..._ grumbled Shintarou inwardly, sighing at his current predicament. All he knew of what their plans for today was that they—along with Aomine and Kagami—were going to visit someone this early in the morning. Kise hadn't said anything else in his call a few hours ago, other than that and the consequences of not coming—the blonde tennis player was surprisingly clever that way, which somehow explains him being in their batch's pilot section. Fortunately, Kise Ryouta only shows this conniving and manipulative side when he _really_ wants something—something that he'll never attain by being his normal, rich, handsome, charming, and whiny self. And because of yesterday's revelations, Shintarou already had an inkling of what that "something" is. After all, Ryouta had already decided to use one of his most embarrassing secrets against him. Midorima Shintarou, of course, would never let it be known to others, as much as possible, so he had no choice but to accompany the annoying blonde. At least, he didn't have to pay for his lucky item today.

Aomine and Kagami, though, were not going to be happy.

And he was right, as several minutes later, after buying his lucky item—a Matryoshka doll—Aomine Daiki and Kagami Taiga were reluctantly strolling along behind them.

"Why the fuck did _we_ have to come? You already having fucking Midorima with you," grumbled Daiki, his hands in his coat pocket as he kicked a random pebble away. "And who the _hell_ would even wanna see your stupid face _this_ early in the morning?"

"Aominecchi!" whined Ryouta, pouting indignantly at the dark-skinned blunette behind him. "You're my friends! You _have_ to support me!"

"Yeah, but we weren't exactly expecting to support you this _way_ , Kise," replied Taiga, massaging his neck tiredly as he yawned. "If you woke us all up at four a.m. and dragged us out in this cold weather just to serenade Kasamatsu on his balcony, then I swear to God, we're leaving you behind tied to a lamp post to get coffee."

Ryouta playfully _smirked_ at the two. "Ah, but aren't you forgetting something~?"

Aomine glared heatedly at him with a vein twitching on his forehead, while Kagami just grimaced unpleasantly. "You'd better not waste our time, you bastard," snarled Daiki, wanting to get this over quickly. He still lacked so many hours of sleep.

"Great~! Follow me~!" Kise Ryouta then skipped away, energetically looking around for the right direction as his three sleep-deprived friends were left behind watching him. "He got you, too, didn't he?" asked Kagami, glancing at an exasperated Midorima massaging his temples. The green-haired archer could only sigh in aggravation. "Someday, I really _am_ going to kill your brother."

"Yeaaaah, we really shouldn't have introduced Tsuya to Goldie," groaned Aomine as they once again followed the blonde into the rapidly-brightening streets. That determined look in the blonde's eyes was so obvious now.

Several more minutes of walking, the four teenage athletes of Kiseki no Sedai Academy finally found themselves standing in front of a large apartment complex. It was situated at a corner block, and next to a fenced lot filled with cultivated plants. What was strange, though, was that the building didn't look like the average apartment buildings in Japan. It seemed that there was an open space in the middle of the square-like building—from what Kise could see beyond the wrought-iron gates, anyway—and you couldn't see any of the apartment doors from the outside like how it was with the common apartment complex. It was quite homey, though—with its bricked walls and growing ivy—and the place stood out nicely from all the houses near it.

"Man, I still can't believe you're actually gonna visit Kasamatsu already," voiced Kagami, looking up at the windows.

Ryouta only laughed. "What? Silly Kagamicchi! We're not here to visit Yukiocchi~! He'll think I'm creepy if I do that right now!"

Behind him, his friends all inwardly refuted that he already _was_ acting like a creep. But then Midorima realized something. "Wait, then if he's not the one we're visiting... then who on earth are we here for, Kise?!"

The blonde smiled excitedly at him. He turned back just in time to see an old lady come out of the gates with a broom. "Um, excuse me. Good morning, ma'am~!"

"Oh! Well, hello there, young man!" replied the woman as she bowed and smiled at Ryouta.

"Does someone named Kuroko Tetsuya live here, ma'am?" asked the blonde teen.

"Ah, Kuroko-kun? Why, yes! Are you friends of his?" she asked, peering at the other tall teens with Ryouta.

"Yes, we're just visiting him."

"Well, you're quite early, I must say! Ah, but go on ahead. Visitors are allowed to come inside the building, anyway," said the old lady, and pointed to the entrance. "You can take any of the staircases when you go in. He's on the second floor, in Room 2A."

"Thank you, ma'am~!" said Ryouta, and bowed again, along with the others. Leaving the woman to sweep in front of the building, the four ventured further inside the foreign-looking place. They couldn't help but marvel some more.

"Wow~!" gushed the blonde teen, head swiveling around as he gazed at the interior. There really was an open space in the middle of the building, like a patio of sorts. Looking up, they could now see the doors to every apartment. It was like a traditional Japanese mansion, with the apartments forming a square and an open space in the middle where sunlight could filter in. What was immediately noticeable was that there were small bridges in the middle, connecting the left and right side of the building on the second and third floor. Spotting the staircases the old lady was talking about, Ryouta skipped to the flight of steps on the right side and beckoned the other three to hurry.

"I never really imagined Kuroko to be living in a place like this, you know," remarked Aomine as they went up to the second floor. "But why are we visiting _him_? And how the hell did you find out where he lives?"

The blunette didn't receive an answer as they arrived on the second floor. Just like what was seen from below, there was a bridge in the middle—which was a good thing, since the gap between the two sides was large and crossing to the other side without the bridges would unnecessarily take too long. Ryouta looked around and noticed that the doors each had the usual name plaque for the tenants. "Over here!" he said as he spotted Room 2A.

"Not too loud, Kise!" whispered Midorima as they neared the apartment the blonde was in front of. "People are still sleeping, you know."

"Yeah, and _we_ should be sleeping, but _no_. You just _had_ to drag us all the way out here to visit _Kuroko_ , of all people," drawled Aomine dully, leaning against the corridor's railing.

"Do we seriously have to do this, Kise?" asked Kagami, yawning beside his blue-haired best friend.

"Yes. Unless you want me to..." trailed off Ryouta knowingly, uncharacteristically smirking like a devil at the three teens. The other boys could only grunt in acquiescence.

Having settled that, the blonde turned back to the wooden door before him. He rechecked the door's number and read the name on the plaque below the doorbell.

_Kuroko Tetsuya._

Yup, this was the place. Ryouta idly wondered why it specifically had only his name on it, but he can wonder about that later. Right now, it was time to initiate his plan. Honestly, Kise Ryouta was starting to feel nervous, but he had to do this. For his Yukiocchi!

Ryouta pressed the doorbell firmly, cheering himself for not faltering. And then he waited.

Only ten seconds had passed in silence and he rang the doorbell again, this time calling out to the pale blunette.

"Kurokocchi! Are you there? It's me, Kise~!"

"He's probably still sleeping, you know," said Kagami, watching the blonde ring the bell again.

"I agree. After all, today is not a school day for us, and the Glee Club won't be starting practice until Monday. There's no reason for him to be awake at this hour," added Midorima, adjusting his glasses.

"Why the hell do you have to do this so early, anyway? You have the entire weekend, Goldie," asked Aomine, starting to yawn.

"But I don't know if Kurokocchi has any plans for today!" replied Kise, still ringing the doorbell. "I might miss him! I need to talk to him as soon as possible! Kurokocchi~!"

"Kise, it's only _six o' clock_ ," grated Midorima, glaring hard at the blonde's back as he caressed his Matryoshka doll. "Couldn't you at least give him a few more hours of precious sleep? Just because you deprived us of it doesn't mean you should deprive Kuroko of it, as well."

But Ryouta paid no heed and kept disturbing the peace with his excitement and impatience. A few more minutes later, in which Midorima and Kagami were already trying to stop him from waking other people up while Aomine was swearing at his goddamn luck, the door finally opened and revealed a placid-looking Kuroko Tetsuya wearing a light blue pajama set.

When the pale blunette kept quiet despite their bickering, they immediately shut their mouths as the awkward silence—a tell-tale sign of a dangerous atmosphere—made the four jocks realize that it was Kuroko himself who was emitting said dark vibes.

Kise's subconsciousness inwardly gulped in apprehension. The other three had all cursed him to hell.

 

* * *

 

_Back to the present..._

Tetsuya wanted a teensy amount of violence to be acted upon, but he withheld himself. It wouldn't do to let these _brave men_ go with just a few jabs to the stomach, after all. Sweet, sweet revenge was _so_ much more fulfilling.

On the other hand, the so-called "brave men" were silently quivering on their toes. They thought only Akashi could scare them this much—with the boy's relentless gaze and merciless scissors—but to see the phantom member of the school's Glee Club stare at them with his lifeless eyes and a frightening aura enveloping the pale teen... well, it was safe to say that he and Akashi would probably be the best of friends.

Usually, Kuroko would be so hard to notice even if the door opened—the few times they hung out together proving that it was hard to get used to the boy's presence. But he was definitely more noticeable now because of the atmosphere he was emitting.

That… or he was just sporting this ridiculous hairstyle that was so hard to not find funny.

Frankly, though, the four didn't know whether to be intimidated at the dark aura or laugh at the boy's gravity-defying hair.

They kept their mouths shut, just to be safe.

It was then that Nigou decided to make himself known. "Woof~!" barked the puppy excitedly, bounding out of the apartment and stopping right in front of Kagami.

Kagami _swore_ his heart stopped.

"GYAAAAAAAAHHH! YOU HAVE A D-D-D-D-D-DOG?!" The large redhead scurried to get away from the little canine, but in the process, made himself topple dangerously over the railing.

"O-Oi! Bakagami!" yelled Aomine, quickly grabbing the redhead's coat to pull him back to safety. But that would mean that Kagami Taiga would have to face the dangerous dog, and so, the redhead backed away some more—forcing his dark-skinned best friend to pull him harder.

Meanwhile, Ryouta, Shintarou, and Tetsuya watched on as the two bickered about safety while the redhead's object of fear barked at him happily, not even realizing his effect on the basketball star of Kiseki no Sedai Academy. Nigou just found his scent fascinating, is all.

Kise and Midorima really didn't know whether to feel exasperated at Kagami's extreme phobia of dogs or feel pity towards him and his current situation. Suddenly, they saw Kuroko moving towards the two.

The pale blunette deftly picked up his excited puppy. And proceeded to shove Nigou in Kagami's face.

"K-K-KUROKO, YOU BASTARD! G-GET IT AWAY FROM MEEE!"

"Taiga, you idiot! Calm the fuck _down_! It ain't gonna bite ya!"

"LIKE HELL, AHOMINE!"

" **JUST SHUT UP AND STOP MOVING! YOU'RE GONNA FUCKING DIE, DUMBASS!** "

And through it all, Kuroko Tetsuya stood there with his usual poker face—a glint of amusement in those powder blue eyes—while holding Nigou up to a panicking Kagami Taiga's pale face. The little Alaskan malamute just barked some more.

"K-Kurokocchi..." stuttered Kise Ryouta nervously, shakily trying to reach out and stop the teen from doing anything else.

"At this rate, we'll be kicked out of the building for being too noisy and Kagami will die from a heart attack," remarked Midorima flatly, a single bead of sweat rolling down his cheek despite the cold weather.

"U-Um, Kurokocchi!" shouted Ryouta over the ensuing chaos. The blonde couldn't help squeaking in fear when Kuroko sharply turned to him with those frighteningly blank eyes.

"Yes, _Kise-kun_?" answered the small blunette, his voice hoarse but hard with promises of pain for the blonde tennis player. Ryouta pushed on despite his growing fear; Kagami's life depended on him now.

"U-Uh, c-can we talk i-inside?" he asked nervously, gulping in apprehension.

"... It's six o' clock, _Kise-kun_."

"A-Aha ha, yes and—"

"On a Saturday, _Kise-kun_."

"Y-Yes..."

Ryouta shivered in fright as Kuroko's aura grew more murderous by the minute. He _really_ didn't think this through, did he? Then suddenly, the blunette hugged Nigou to his chest and walked back inside his apartment.

"Come in, then," said Tetsuya as he pushed the door wide open and pinned the four with a mysterious gaze. "I'm sure you have a _good reason_ for waking me up at _six o' clock on a Saturday morning_."

Kagami, Aomine, Midorima, and Kise all stared in fear as the pale blunette retreated into the dim hallway that eerily looked like a lair of darkness. Kuroko's voice was monotonous as usual, but they _swore_ they heard Akashi's voice somewhere in there.

"... I woke him up at a bad time, didn't I?" asked Ryouta after a minute of silence. Aomine was quick to retort. "Oh, ya _think_?"

The four hurriedly went inside the apartment after that—Kagami momentarily forgetting his fear of the puppy because of his newfound fear of a sleepy Kuroko.

 

* * *

 

Several moments later, they were now seated on a sofa opposite Kuroko Tetsuya himself and Nigou—a plain coffee table the only thing standing between them and the irate teen.

An awkward silence enveloped the living room as the four athletes kept fidgeting under the pale blunette's dull gaze. The windows were open, yet it was so hard to breath in the spacious apartment. No one dared to say anything; Kagami, Aomine, and Midorima were waiting for Kise to start since it was him who wanted to see Kuroko, while Ryouta himself was just too damn scared of the silent boy. The only noise you could hear was Nigou's excited pants and his tail wagging on the sofa.

Ryouta was sweating like crazy. They were practically in the lion's den right now—well, the den of an emotionless lion that doesn't really act like a lion, anyway. But still, they were on dangerous waters and Kise Ryouta would be lying if he said that he wasn't the least bit afraid of what Kuroko Tetsuya might do. Aomine Daiki, meanwhile, was trying to stay still. It felt so goddamn suffocating in there, and Kise not doing anything was starting to grate on his nerves. The least the idiot could do was to hurry it up so they could leave already! But as much as the dark-skinned soccer player wanted to yell at the blonde model, he held his tongue. He saw how murderous Kuroko looked— _still_ looked. Like hell was _he_ getting involved any further. Midorima Shintarou, on the other hand, was gripping his lucky item tightly. When Oha-Asa had stated that Cancers were going to discover something noteworthy about their acquaintances today, he hadn't exactly been expecting to face Kuroko Tetsuya's wrath head-on. Then again, this _was_ noteworthy, at least. He'll never wake him up this early in the morning ever again, unless the matter was more important than what Kise Ryouta was about to present. Perhaps Shintarou should have bought Geminis' lucky item, as well.

All the while his friends were trying not to look at the pale teen sitting on another sofa before them, Kagami Taiga was trying to look at anywhere besides the scary animal with him. Even after years of therapy sessions, the redhead still couldn't get over his fear of dogs. It got to the point that even little lapdogs like Chihuahuas freaked him out.

Him.

A 190 cm. tall male with muscular abs and a hulking frame.

Taiga wanted to cry at his pathetic self, but that would just make him look even more pathetic. And so, he opted to look around his weird classmate's apartment instead.

The first thing he had noticed when they came inside the living room—even when he was scared shitless at Kuroko's scary blank face—was the shiny black piano in the corner. Maybe Kuroko plays? It wasn't too big, so from what Taiga knew of piano types, he was guessing that it was a baby grand. Kuroko must be loaded if he could actually afford something like that. Hell, it wasn't just the piano, anymore—the entire apartment seemed pretty huge for just one guy. Sure, the redhead hadn't seen the other rooms yet, but if a big instrument like that could fit in the living room without making it seem cramped, then it was damn spacious—and expensive. And the furniture—god, it was like he was in a penthouse or something. Plus, he could tell that it was just Kuroko living here even without the name plaque outside. Looking around, the place was homey but very organized and tidy, and there wasn't much unnecessary stuff around. If it weren't for the pictures and displays that brought color to the room, then maybe the entire place would be so monotonous like its owner. Taiga had been surprised to find that there were two sofas in the living room, and an eight-seater dining table near the kitchen. Kuroko didn't seem like the type to entertain many guests, but when Taiga remembered what Takao mentioned yesterday about them eating together most of the time, then the set-up didn't seem all that surprising anymore. The redhead idly wondered if the boy knew how to cook like him and Sakurai.

" _Well_ , Kise-kun?"

The four athletes flinched in their seats—Ryouta looking more like he jumped—as Kuroko Tetsuya finally spoke after minutes of pained silence. "Y-Yes?!" yelped the blonde model nervously, cursing himself for being startled.

"What is your _reason_?" reminded Tetsuya, calmly petting Nigou on his lap as he kept staring expectantly at the part-time model.

"O-Oh! Ummm... Well, uh... B-Beautiful dog you have there~! W-What's his name, Kurokocchi~?"

"He's Tetsuya No. 2. We call him Nigou for short. But you didn't come all this way just to ask about my dog, _did you_?"

"Aha ha... W-Well, um..." When Ryouta had faltered yet again in the face of Kuroko's dark aura, Shintarou had now decided to prod the young man into hurrying it up by elbowing the blonde's side hard. "U-Um! You see, you're not the only one I was h-hoping to talk to today, so c-can we get Takaocchi and S-Sakuraicchi over...?"

Tetsuya stared at him some more—Kise sweating bullets yet again—until finally, the pale blunette broke eye contact and reached over for the telephone resting on the side table. A few seconds of button-pressing and silence later...

"Kazunari-kun, there are pedophiles who are in my apartment right now—"

"WHAT?!" chorused the four athletes; Aomine and Kagami jumping on their feet at the sudden accusation.

"—and I need you and Ryou-kun to save me. Please hurry." And immediately hanging up, Kuroko Tetsuya had just monotonously cried for help. The so-called "All-Stars" of Kiseki no Sedai Academy didn't know if they should be angry for being called old perverts or be amazed at the boy's toneless plea on the phone.

"Wha..." croaked out Kagami, blinking in confusion at the turn of events. "Why the hell..."

"TETSU-CHAAAAN!" The four tall males flinched in surprise as a muffled yell came from the front door. Then suddenly, the door banged open and in came a figure sliding into the hallway.

"TETSUYA, ARE YOU OKAY?! **WHERE THE HELL ARE THOSE BASTAR—** "

A messy-haired Takao Kazunari, in baggy pajamas, a loose shirt, and wielding a baseball bat, stopped short in the doorway to the living room as the sight of his beloved Tetsu-chan, Nigou, and the most eligible bachelors of their school all together and looking unharmed greeted his silvery-blue eyes.

He gaped at them, perplexed. The four athletes stared back.

"TETSUYA-SAN, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" shrieked another familiar voice to Aomine Daiki. And as expected, Sakurai Ryou came sliding in as well... with a fire extinguisher in hand. " **DON'T WORRY! WE'RE GOING TO SAVE—** "

He stopped screaming when he immediately saw the dark-skinned ace striker of their school looking at him strangely. "... you..." trailed off the brunette quietly, gaping at the four well-dressed teens in his best friend's apartment.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The six high-schoolers all blinked and gaped some more at the incredulity of the situation until finally, Kuroko Tetsuya spoke to the two newcomers.

"Good morning, Kazunari-kun, Ryou-kun," greeted the pale blunette, with an accompanying bark from Nigou.

"..."

"..."

"By the way, cute pajamas you have there, Ryou-kun."

In the span of three seconds, the four athletic visitors of Kuroko Tetsuya watched in wonder as Sakurai Ryou's face suddenly turned several bright shades of red, unconsciously dropping his weapon in the process as he squeaked in embarrassment.

Takao just kept blinking.

 

* * *

 

"So, let me get this straight..." drawled one Takao Kazunari irritably as he leaned back and rested his arms on the sofa's back. "You guys came _all_ the way here, and woke us all up at _six o' clock in the morning_ on a _weekend_ , just so you could _**talk**_ **to us**?"

The seven teens—comprised of Kise Ryouta, Aomine Daiki, Kagami Taiga, Midorima Shintarou, Kuroko Tetsuya, and now Takao Kazunari, and Sakurai Ryou—were now sitting in the living room of the phantom member of Misdirection. Just like before, the four jocks who came to visit were on one of the sofas, while Kuroko was seated on the opposite one with Nigou—but this time, Sakurai was now seated on his right, while Takao flanked his left. So now, after much chaos about the 'fake emergency call' from Kuroko, Kise and his friends were currently facing a blushing brunette and a pissed-off raven-haired teen who was staring at them unimpressed.

The intimidating aura grew stronger.

"Ummm... Yeah...?" offered Ryouta meekly.

Kazunari sighed in aggravation and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You _do_ realize that you could've just _called_ us, right? The telephone was invented for a _reason_."

"Ehe he he..." Beside the blonde, Aomine and Kagami rolled their eyes while Midorima massaged his temples. Kazunari just sighed again. He didn't think that he'd have to find Kise Ryouta so troublesome already. Glancing at his best friends, he found Tetsuya donning his usual blank face and Ryou fidgeting in his seat and still blushing. Looks like he had to deal with this one.

"Maaaaan... You _better_ have a damn good reason for waking us at this ungodly hour, Kise," said the silvery-eyed teen, glaring sternly at the blonde model. Since the other three athletes refused to open their mouths and kept staring expectantly at Kise, it wasn't hard to realize that this was the blonde's idea. How he had managed to drag the other three out of their beds just to come here, Kazunari didn't know. All he knew was that he just wanted to get this over with, there was hell to pay after this, and he was feeling pretty cranky.

When Kise was about to reply, Kazunari quickly cut him off. "Oh, and don't even think about giving me that 'love at first sight' crap. That's total bullshit, I'll have you know."

"E-Eh?! Wait, y-you know?!" stuttered Ryouta, blushing faintly. Surprisingly, his friends sat a little straighter.

"Kise, don't get me wrong, but it's kinda obvious why you wanted to see us so badly."

"Yes. You're here for Yukio-kun," stated Kuroko bluntly.

"Eh?!" Sakurai stared at his friends in shock. "H-How?! Why?! W-W-When?!"

"Come on, Ryou-chan. Can you think of _any_ other reason why someone we just met two days ago would want to personally talk to us at, _again_..." and Takao glared at Kise here. " _Six o' clock on a frickin' Saturday morning_?"

Frankly, the amber-eyed Ryouta didn't know if he should blush some more or sweat nervously at the murderous aura. Aomine, though, just whistled in appreciation. "Damn, you guys sure figured it out pretty fast." To which, Takao just shrugged.

"Uh, speaking of 'fast'... Can I just ask something?" voiced Kagami, meekly raising his hand. "How did you guys... get here so fast, anyway?"

Ryou's blush came back in full force as he remembered the events that unfolded just a few minutes ago. He tried not to catch a glimpse of what he was wearing—or rather, what was printed on what he was wearing. Tetsuya, his ever-supportive best friend, just patted his shoulder. The raven-haired Kazunari, on the other hand, crossed his legs as he answered the question. "Remember when we mentioned yesterday that we all kind of live together? Ryou-chan, Yuu-chan, and I have our own apartments here on the same floor."

"Well... that explains a lot," remarked the redhead.

"And speaking of which, you should be _glad_ that Yuu-chan's not around, Kise," said Kazunari, gaining Ryouta's attention once again. "Since we don't have club practice yet, he's gone off to train at Kaijo an hour ago. _Aaaand_ , you should also be glad that I hadn't called him when Ryou-chan and I rushed off to save Tecchan—not that there was much 'saving', anyway. He would've kicked your ass, you know!"

"And your heart."

"Tetsuya-san, that's mean!" whispered Ryou furiously to the pale blunette beside him. Kise couldn't help feeling a stab go through him with the comments. He _really_ didn't think this through. He had only been lucky today. If something had gone wrong, then he would've probably kissed his chance to be with Yukiocchi goodbye. But Ryouta couldn't just sit still and do nothing back then! Yesterday, he had realized the greatest thing that ever happened to him: he had fallen in love with someone. Granted, it seemed too good to be true, but the blonde had all night in bed to contemplate things and rationalize his way through after coming down from his love-struck high when he came home. He argued so many angles, that it was possible he could now ace his Theorem and Postulates assignment. In the end, he never got any sleep, and come 4 a.m., he was struck with a brilliant idea and immediately called his friends.

The brilliant idea he had sounded kind of stupid right now.

"Well, Kise? What do you have to say for yourself?"

The blonde looked up at the silvery-eyed male, startled at the question. "E-Eh? ... W-Well, what else is there to say? I mean... you guys already know that I'm here for Yukiocchi, so..."

"Yeah, we do know, but we're still expecting you to admit it yourself and explain why you had to do all of _this_ ," answered Takao, massaging his neck. "Otherwise, Tecchan might kill you in your sleep."

"K-Kazunari-san! Don't joke like that!"

"He's not joking, Ryou-kun."

"..."

Ryouta gulped in nervousness. It was one thing to ring Kurokocchi's doorbell; it was another to lay his heart out for three total strangers to see. But he had to do this; otherwise he would never be able to courageously face Yukiocchi the next time they meet. That, and Kurokocchi really might kill him.

"Look..." sighed Kazunari, combing his black locks tiredly. "All I'm asking is for you not to preach about that 'love at first sight' bullshit."

"It's not bullshit!"

Everyone turned to the blonde, shocked at hearing him shout out angrily—let alone curse out loud. "Kise..." whispered Midorima quietly.

"And it's..." Ryouta ducked, his blonde fringe shielding the blush he had on. "... It's not love at first sight, either."

Ryou worriedly glanced at his friends. Tetsuya just glanced back while Kazunari stayed silent. Taking a huge breath, Kise Ryouta started his spiel.

"I... I came here because I had realized yesterday that I'm... attracted to your friend. I don't know what your views are about this kind of love and I don't know what you think of me so I came to talk to you. I got a little excited, though, and ended up... having to organize an early meeting. Either way, I'm very sorry for troubling you, but I want to ask just a little of your time."

When no one spoke, the blonde stood up and continued. "I... I l-like Kasamatsu Yukio and I would like to ask for your approval and your help in getting a date from him!" He bowed deeply at the three teens before him. "This may seem too forward coming from someone you just met, but I'm willing to prove myself to you! I've tried everything I could to discourage myself from these feelings, but I just can't help it! Please! I ask for your guidance! Please help me!"

When Ryouta had finished, everyone was still silent; even Nigou, who was just watching the blonde teen. Finally, after what seemed like hours but only seconds, Takao Kazunari spoke up. "Did you _seriously_ have to ask us this? You could've just gone after him even without us saying anything, you know."

"Heh... well..." smiled Ryouta sheepishly at the silver blue-eyed male. "It was a spur-of-the-moment thing and I kinda thought it would be awesome to have you guys on my side..."

"Fine, fine," sighed Kazunari, stretching and hunching back to rest his arms on his knees. "Well, Tetsu-chan? Ryou-chan?"

"Although this issue concerns us, we really don't mind what you plan for Yukio-kun, Kise-kun," replied Tetsuya, scratching Nigou's ear. "It's not as if he's helpless."

"O-Oi," interrupted Kagami, staring hesitantly at the pale teen with his dog. "Don't talk like you don't care about your friend... and wait, what do you mean by 'not helpless'?! Kise's not gonna rape him or something! You think this idiot's even capable of that?!"

"Kagamicchi, you're not helping!" whined Ryouta to the redhead as he sat down.

"Kise-kun might not be, but he is at least capable of desiring for Yukio-kun."

"U-Uh..."

"Tetsuya-san!" chided the brown-haired Ryou, briefly frowning at his friend. "U-Um, Kise-san... like Tetsuya-san just said, we really don't mind if you like Yukio-san. And you really didn't need to ask us for permission..."

"Besides, you shouldn't be talking to us, Kise-kun." When the blonde only gave them a confused look, Kuroko and Sakurai quickly glanced at each other and turned to their raven-haired friend, who had been quiet the entire time.

Seeing as he became the center of attention this time, Takao only sighed and leaned back once more. "Right. First of all, we don't mind homosexual relationships. Second, we see you just like how any other student at our school sees you: a handsome part-time model and tennis jock, blah blah blah. Third, we still don't appreciate this impromptu 'meeting' of yours, but whatever. What's done is done."

"Now, let's get down to business." And here, for the first time ever, the usually-jovial Takao Kazunari pinned Kise Ryouta with a serious look. No more teasing smiles like yesterday, or deadly glares like their first meeting. The raven-haired teen didn't care if he was still in his PJs—he _had_ to lay it down for the blonde now.

"First, let's get one thing straight here, okay? Yukio is my _best friend_." Hearing his crush's name made Ryouta tense. Takaocchi didn't say it like how he usually would. He didn't say his nickname for the steel blue-eyed boy that captured Ryouta's heart. He said his _real name_.

No doubt about it, Takao Kazunari was dead serious about this.

"Hell, he's not _just_ my best friend," continued Kazunari. "He's my family, my brother, my sidekick—sometimes, my mother, even! I've known him since we were kids and we've been together through thick and thin. I'm closer to him than Tetsu-chan and Ryou-chan, and I know him more than his own family. And I've made it _my job_ to personally see to it that he becomes happy in the end. He may not have a sob story like all the other people in the world, but I want him to be happy, just like what any other person would wish for their best friend."

"So tell me this, Kise: why the _hell_ should I help _you_?"

Ryouta was shocked speechless. Takao was staring hard at him, looking unimpressed. Like he was judging his worth. The blonde tried to breathe steadily and come up with an answer. Why _should_ he be helped? Why should _he_ be deserving of Yukiocchi's time? He needed to prove himself to this person who treasures Yukiocchi unlike any other, and whom Yukiocchi probably treasured, as well. But Kagami beat him to it.

"Hey, don't say it like that! He came to see you guys and ask for your permission personally! Isn't that enough? I thought you guys didn't care what Kise did to Kasamatsu!" replied Taiga, defending the silent blonde.

"Correction: _Tetsu-chan_ and _Ryou-chan_ don't care about this. _I_ do. Especially if you're going to involve Yukio. And besides, talking to us face-to-face isn't enough. I need to understand what is it you want in all of this and why it had to be my best friend, of all people," rebutted Kazunari, still donning a serious mask.

Aomine grimaced. "Look, can you just stop bitching about this and give him what he wants already? This isn't even your decision to make in the first place. You make it sound like Kise's some asshole!"

"Aomine!" scolded Midorima heatedly, glaring at the dark-skinned teen to shut up. Daiki wasn't about to let up, though.

"What? You expect me to be a saint and let this bastard talk smack about our Goldie? The hell does he know about Kise, anyway, huh? Yeah, sure, Kise knows nothing about _your_ precious best friend, but so does Kasamatsu about ours! Isn't that the whole point of this? To get them on a date, so they'll get closer and Kise'll stop pestering us?"

At this, Kazunari chuckled—sounding somewhat dark when it reached the four jocks. "Ohhh... so you guys came here with him to get our approval, eh~?"

Shintarou coughed. "We're here for emotional support or some such thing..."

"Actually..." Kagami, Aomine, and Midorima all turned to Ryouta warily as he timidly spoke up in such a hesitant tone. "... I, uh, made you guys come with me in case they wanted a deal in exchange..."

The three stared at him in horror. "Oh, you cannot be _serious_ ," gritted out Shintarou, glaring at the blonde after realizing what Kise wanted from them.

"You fucking forced us to come here so you could sell us to these losers?!" shouted Daiki, standing up in rage—his demeanor completely shifting from caring about Kise to wanting to murder Kise. "Like hell! I'm done with this shit! You've wasted enough of our time!"

"I couldn't agree more," spat out his frowning green-haired friend, adjusting his glasses. When the two made to leave the room, Kise immediately broke out of his meek demeanor and narrowed his eyes for the first time since stepping inside Kuroko's apartment.

"Guys..." called out Taiga warningly as he glanced in apprehension at the serious-looking blonde.

"I'll tell Momocchi and Akashicchi."

With this one sentence, Aomine Daiki and Midorima Shintarou both sat down in less than five seconds—albeit grudgingly. "I swear I'm gonna kill you after this, Kise," growled the dark-skinned soccer player.

"My, my..." voiced Takao silkily, startling the four teens as they remembered that Kuroko, Sakurai, and Takao were still with them. "For you to forcibly stop your friends from walking out on you... You must really want our approval that badly, huh~? But what makes you think I'll approve even if you give me a deal~?"

Ryouta gulped as Takao predatorily smirked at him. They were back to this topic again. He reached for his earring and gently stroked it in deep thought. Of course he wanted their help that badly! Even if he approached Yukiocchi his own way, he probably wouldn't be able to get past the friendship stage. He needed to befriend the three teens before him, since they knew the blue-eyed boy the most. But the real reason why he came here was because he was... scared.

After all, how could he ever fall in love this fast, with only three meetings with Kasamatsu Yukio in his lifetime?

A part of Ryouta wanted to believe that this was destiny, but a larger and more logical part of him wanted to insist that he was living a fairy tale—that this was probably just a daydream and he would never be good enough for the mixed martial artist. He knew what he was capable of, but trying to get a date from Kasamatsu Yukio seemed too daunting of a task—so much so that his courage wavered. He came here to get people other than his friends who would be able to see him in another perspective and tell him if he had a chance or not.

With the way Takao was dealing with him, though, it seemed that Ryouta had no chances at all now... but it couldn't hurt to try. This was Yukiocchi, after all! The guy was probably his first real crush, so why not fight for his love? At this, the blonde model took a deep breath.

"Even without your approval, I'll still take my chances with Yukiocchi. I only came to you first because I wanted to see what you thought of me. You're his friends, so of course, your opinions matter."

"Yes, but still, why should we ever help you? Just because you're everything people claim you to be doesn't mean that you can be everything for Yukio, you know," retorted Kazunari, cocking his head to the side.

Ryouta didn't want to admit it, but that statement stung a bit. It was true—and partly one of the reasons why he came here and had to force his friends in accompanying him. Just because he was perfect in everyone else's eyes doesn't mean that he was the same when it came to Yukiocchi. One glance at the teen and Ryouta knew that Kasamatsu Yukio didn't look at people's images, but rather, what they reflect from within. He was the type to judge people based on their characters. Even though Ryouta himself knew what kind of a person he was, the pressure of wanting to know if Kasamatsu approved of him or not was seriously taking a toll on his confidence. Never had he felt so anxious about his identity. Kise was the charming and brilliant tennis player of Kiseki no Sedai Academy—one of the prodigies in his generation who was always expected to excel in whatever he was doing. But when it comes to Yukiocchi, he may as well be just another super-powered jock whom everybody adores...

 _Crap..._ thought Ryouta, curling his fists. _Why am I so self-conscious about something that's not even tennis...? It's only been a while of knowing him, but already... I'm..._

Sakurai Ryou watched with unease as the awkward silence loomed over their group. The brunette could feel it choking him, but he didn't want to interrupt this moment. The ball was in Kazunari-san's hand now—as always when it concerned his best friend. As of right now, Kise Ryouta's friends sitting beside him probably found Kazunari-san's behavior irritating—if not shocking, considering their impression of the raven-haired teen was probably that of an enthusiastic guy who would've immediately supported Kise. But it's not like Takao Kazunari was seriously being a jerk. Ryou knew he had his reasons; and those reasons weren't for him or Yukio-san... but for Kise-san.

The lanky brunette quirked his lips in fondness. _Really... No matter what, Kazunari-san still cares more about others than himself_ , mused Ryou inwardly, glancing to his left at the black-haired teen in pajamas and lounging casually on the sofa—his sharp silvery eyes directed at the silent blonde before them.

Midorima Shintarou, on the other hand, was trying not to open his mouth. Kise—his self-proclaimed best friend—was being told off by some annoying idiot who was revered as a musical prince of sorts by the female populace of their school—a.k.a. Takao. Shintarou may not care about Kise all the time, but he was still a friend—albeit an annoying one—and Takao had no right to be rude about it while the young man was dreaming about love.

... Well, he may have _some_ right since he knows Kasamatsu more than Kise, but still, the least he could do was to outright say his decision already rather than make Kise doubt himself. If Takao didn't want to help, then he should just say so. But _no_ , the fool just _had_ to keep asking and reminding Kise that it was probably a lost cause. Shintarou didn't want to be angry like Aomine and Kagami—their thoughts about the black-haired teen pretty obvious since the two kept glaring at Takao the whole time—but even he could see why their emotions were justified. Kasamatsu's silver-eyed best friend had a sharp tongue. Even though Takao hadn't exactly insulted any of them, his tone and way of talking was downright irritating. As if he already found Kise degrading and unworthy even though he hadn't done anything to prove himself yet. It wasn't anywhere near how those who dislike them talk to them, but it was enough to spurn the other three athletes' united wrath. The green-haired archer wanted to argue—rather, refute the silvery blue-eyed teen's statements to the point of shutting him up—for the blonde's sake, but this was Kise's own battle, not his. He could only hope that his other friends would—

"So why _can't_ he be perfect for Kasamatsu? It's not as if Kasamatsu needs someone _that_ perfect, anyway."

Shintarou and Ryou stared in shock and horror at the redheaded basketball player who spoke up.

 _Kagami, you idiot! Stop fanning the flames!_ screeched Midorima silently, resisting the urge to throw his wooden lucky item at Kagami.

 _He... He just stepped on a minefield..._ groaned Sakurai, silently praying for the redhead.

But instead of Takao redirecting his gaze onto Kagami like the two had envisioned, Kagami flinched as the deadly and piercing eyes of Kuroko Tetsuya met his deep red ones instead. The power forward gulped in unease. It was so blank that he felt like he was being zapped through by a laser... and seriously, that sentence made no sense at all! Taiga could feel his eyebrow twitching in anxiety, but he stood his ground. He _may_ have insulted Kasamatsu, but he couldn't just let Kise be tossed around by these guys. When the blonde had blackmailed the three of them just to do this, Kagami already knew he was being serious about the Taekwondo kickboxer—much to their chagrin. And he's even letting Takao evaluate him harshly. Kise wasn't even trying to argue much about why he should be dating the black-haired teen. The situation really wasn't fair. He and the blonde model weren't that close, but he was a friend nonetheless; and what kind of a friend would he be if he didn't defend Kise's honor? To hell with the guy wanting to date another guy who happens to like kicking and punching people, Kagami Taiga was going to stick with Kise Ryouta on this one—even though the blonde would probably pester him with thanks to no end.

Hopefully, Aomine and Midorima would support Kise, too, despite their apparent annoyance at Kise's actions today. But Taiga was hoping more that his hotheaded best friend would just keep his mouth shut for the rest of the discussion. Lord knows Daiki says the worst things at times like this.

"So you think you can actually find someone perfect for _you_ , Kagami-kun? My, my. How bold of you. What do you think, Nigou?"

... Or maybe he should've been the one to keep his mouth shut. Kagami gritted his teeth as Kuroko's blank gaze bore into him while the blunette slowly petted his dog. Was this kid with weak presence always this irritating? Then again, Kuroko might just still be suffering from lack of sleep. The murderous dark cloud of aura was back and eerily surrounding the pale teen. The redhead could see Sakurai shrinking in fear at the chilling atmosphere beside him. He wanted to snap back at the jab, but even _he_ was struck with fear. Not because of the aura, mind you, but because Kuroko was staring pointedly at him while painstakingly caressing Nigou.

Damn. The guy was already threatening him with his mutt. But he couldn't just let the insult slide anymore. To hell with this creepy kid!

"O-Of course! Who the hell do you think I am?!"

"Bakagami-kun, the basketball idiot who only thinks about basketball."

"THE HELL DID YOU CALL ME?!"

Sakurai immediately jumped to his feet. "Aha ha ha ha, breakfast! T-That's right! Would you l-look at the time?! It's already seven! Let's have breakfast!" shrieked the brunette, halting Kagami and Kuroko's stand-off. "K-Kagami-san! Can you please help me in the kitchen?!" But before Taiga could say anything else, Ryou was already hauling him to his feet and pulling him towards the small kitchen in the apartment.

"Ah, w-wait—"

"D-Does anyone have reque—"

"I'll tell you, then."

Kagami and Sakurai paused and turned back to the living room. All eyes were on Kise as he stared at Takao once again. "I'll tell you... how we first met."

Kazunari silently stared back, before glancing at Tetsuya and Ryou. Kuroko gave him a nod, while Sakurai offered an encouraging smile. He turned back to the blonde model and released a sigh.

"Alright," he answered and nodded to Kise.

Ryouta took a deep breath and steadied himself. He was about to reveal what happened that time. The first time he encountered Kasamatsu Yukio. The memory was so long ago, but Ryouta felt like it was only just this week. He closed his eyes and recalled every single detail he could remember. There wasn't a lot, but there weren't any gaps, which means that he had subconsciously kept the memory of that night intact and treasured it—even though he never saw Yukiocchi again until several months later. This was proof on how much the mixed martial artist had influenced himself in a single night.

And how precious Ryouta regarded his kindness to him.

The blonde took another deep breath. This was gonna be a bit hard since now that Kise views him as his crush, the story's gonna sound so embarrassing—even to his ears.

Meanwhile, Ryou had pulled Taiga into the small kitchen as the blonde mentally prepared himself. The kitchen had an open breakfast counter where one could poke his head through and easily see the living room and so, the brunette ushered Kagami towards the other side of the space where the others won't notice them. Then, he proceeded to bow several times and apologize profusely in soft whispers.

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! Please forgive me for my behavi—"

"Ah, no, no! It's okay!" whispered Taiga back, holding up his hands to placate the brunette as he watched in confusion. It was weird seeing Sakurai act like this again, since he was fine minutes ago—and yesterday, even. Moreover, his mumbling seem to get quicker and quicker.

"—but actually, I want to apologize more for Tetsuya-san! Please forgive him! I'm really so—"

"Sakurai!" whispered Taiga harshly, shaking the teen's shoulders. "Seriously, it's okay! Just... stop apologizing."

"S-Sorry..." squeaked Ryou, wearing a guilty expression. The redheaded basketball player snuck a peek at the living room and breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed that the five boys sitting there didn't seem to mind them. "Alright, what do you need my help with?" asked Taiga, turning back to the brunette.

Sakurai snapped back in focus. "Ah! P-Please cook the rice, then." Kagami nodded and turned to the cabinets. _Holy shit, this kitchen is gorgeous_ , he immediately thought as he marveled at the pristine condition of the area. Kuroko must be _really_ loaded.

Once Kagami let him go to find the rice cooker, Ryou headed towards the fridge to collect some ingredients. "Um... Would you guys like some panca—TETSUYA-SAN, WHY ARE THERE SO MANY EGGS HERE AGAIN?!"

Tetsuya didn't miss a beat. "I am practicing on how to boil eggs."

"BUT YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW TO DO THAT! IN FACT, THAT'S THE ONLY COOKING SKILL YOU HAVE!"

From the living room, Kuroko Tetsuya slightly puffed his cheeks. "How conceited of you, Ryou-kun." Beside him, Takao was trying not to laugh. Midorima and Kise peeked behind and blinked at the absurd amount of egg cartons in Sakurai's arms. Kagami was snickering as he heard about Kuroko's lack of culinary abilities.

Ryou sighed tiredly and clutched his forehead as he set the cartons on the counter. "Guess we're having eggs, then..."

"Well, Kise?" Kise started at the sound of Takao's voice and turned back to the black-haired teen. He was wearing an expectant look. "Ah!" And at this, Kise Ryouta composed himself to start his story.

"Uh, well... I already mentioned that he treated me to some okonomiyaki back then, right?" When Takao nodded and so did Midorima, he took a deep breath and willed his heating cheeks to return to normal. "You see—"

A loud snore interrupted Ryouta, surprising the occupants of the living room and the kitchen. Everybody turned to Aomine Daiki, whose head had lolled back on the couch as he fell asleep—blissfully unaware of his friend about to give a heartfelt confession.

"Aominecchi!" whined Kise, annoyed at the soccer player's apparent indifference at his love woes. Midorima rubbed his temples and Kagami just rolled his eyes, while Kuroko asked Sakurai for a homemade vanilla milkshake and Sakurai blinked at the situation before exasperatedly reminding his best friend that he couldn't have milkshakes in the morning.

"Ahhh, just let him sleep," said Kazunari, waving off Aomine's behavior. "It's not like the world's gonna end if he doesn't hear this, and you can always tell him about it someday."

Kise sighed and nodded in agreement. He was so gonna pester Aominecchi about this. With clenched and nervous hands, the blonde gulped and finally threw aside his reservations on revealing the situation where he and Yukiocchi first met.

"Well... It all happened that day..."

 

* * *

 

Kise Ryouta couldn't breathe. The world suddenly seemed so overwhelming; the tennis court suddenly so sickly green. He had the strangest urge to hurl his racket onto the damn scoreboard, but he kept his grip tight. No matter what, he didn't want to destroy his precious equipment.

As the opposing team cheered victoriously, the audience and his own team kept quiet. And so did Ryouta, as he kept staring dazedly at the score.

_Daiten vs. Kiseki no Sedai_

_Watari vs. Kise_

_4 - 5_

_6 - 5_

_7 - 6_

He lost.

He _lost_.

The murmurs, whispers, cheers—the sounds all around him—all blurred together until Ryouta couldn't hear anything more than a buzzing noise. His vision turned dark and disorienting as he heaved heavily, struggling to calm his nerves. A part of him wanted to believe that this was only the effect of his fever—his damn fever that he wasn't supposed to have today, of all days—but a larger part of him knew what it really was.

It was defeat.

And it was damn bitter.

He tried not to look elsewhere. Everybody probably had the same disbelieving expression on their faces right now. And he was afraid of seeing that.

Yes, him. The greatest tennis player to ever walk the halls of Kiseki no Sedai Academy.

He vaguely heard the referee whistle for a handshake... vaguely heard his opponent say something to him... vaguely heard his teammates calling out to him...

It wasn't until the noises faded that he realized he was already leaving. He was running away.

From the court.

From the people.

From his teammates.

It had started with slow, unsteady steps... then a brisk walk... then a jog... until finally, a full-on sprint. To where, Kise had no idea. All he knew was that he had to get away from there. He had to escape this heavy and unpleasant feeling.

He could finally feel the sweat that had seeped into his shirt. The dry wind nipped at his arms and legs as he ran quickly through the field. It didn't help that his body was already overheated from both the strenuous match and his fever. But he could care less about all of that. Hell, he couldn't even feel any of that right now.

Painful. Everything was painful to him as of this moment.

The heat.

The numbness.

The grip on his racket.

The sound of the whistle signaling the end of his match.

The shocked silence.

The unfamiliar shouts of victory.

The whispers.

The sight of the scoreboard.

The burning feeling in his lungs.

The ache in his legs.

The stinging sensation in his eyes

Everything felt so torturously painful.

Ryouta gulped a shivering sob. He couldn't take it anymore. He hated this feeling. He hated losing.

He hated himself. It was all his fault.

With an enraged cry, the blonde forcefully chucked his racket aside, not bothering to see where it landed. All his fault. He didn't deserve to hold that thing after what happened today.

He ran faster than ever, streaks of tears marring his picture-perfect face.

Several minutes later, Kise Ryouta found himself locked up inside a toilet cubicle in an empty restroom, pathetically crying himself to sleep. Frankly, he hadn't really cared that he ran in and holed himself up in an isolated little building—in god-knows-what part of the forest the tennis court he ran away from was near—just to cry uncontrollably. Though an athletic genius, he was still entitled to be depressed over his first official defeat, after all.

Then again, he hadn't really been thinking straight when his match ended. He wanted to be alone, but he didn't want anyone to see him crying, so he tried finding somewhere secluded. When he saw the restroom, he didn't think twice anymore, for fear of being spotted. Sure, someone might come in any moment and hear him sniffling, but like hell was Kise going out there now.

He wasn't ready. He wasn't ready to face the world—to face his teammates. It was all his fault. If only he had just let someone else take his place today for the tournament... If only he had rested properly so his fever would really go away...

Stupid. Stupid! Ryouta felt another onslaught of tears coming, but didn't bother holding back nor wiping his face. It was useless, anyway. He'd already been crying for the past few minutes, so why should he stop now? The blonde figured that since he was still sulking, he might as well cry everything out and wallow in self-pity. It wouldn't do for him to go out and face reality with this heavy sorrow in his heart, anyway. Especially once his friends and the entire school hears about what happened.

Aominecchi would probably tease him endlessly, while Momocchi would scold the soccer player and invite Kise to eat some ice cream. Kagamicchi and Himurocchi would definitely try to comfort him. Murasakibaracchi might just look blankly at him and offer him some snacks... hopefully. Akashicchi, on the other hand, will most probably look down on him despite his height and double his training—even though they're not in the same club, which would be downright scary.

But what Kise hated the most to imagine was what Midorimacchi's—his childhood friend's—reaction would be.

"H-He... ngh.. He'd probably say that... I-I-I'm!" And at this, Ryouta choked up, teary-eyed. "I'M A GOOD-FOR-NOTHING IDIOOOOOOOOOT!"

The young tennis player bawled out his eyes again and sobbed like a toddler. His fits earlier were so solemn, but thinking about how his best friend would see him now brought out the helpless child inside Kise. He could already hear the green-haired archer's condescending tone reprimanding him of being a burden to his team and not minding his own health. Ryouta sniffed and wiped himself with his shirt, whilst sitting atop the toilet seat with his knees huddled close to him. He felt sticky and grimy, and it didn't help that the restroom was a bit damp and stifling, despite the good ventilation. The blonde figured that he probably looked like a mess right now and this thought made him sob even more.

Suddenly, the door to the restroom creaked open and swiftly closed. Ryouta quietly gasped in surprise and froze in fear. He wasn't ready to be found yet. He ducked his head and partially buried his face onto his knees as he listened—mentally cursing his helpless little sniffs and hiccups. At this rate, he might as well announce his presence inside.

The person—or man, since this was the men's restroom, after all—casually walked further into the room. The blonde teen's heart sped. He was inside the last cubicle on the far end opposite the entrance. Maybe the stranger knew he was there and was going to investigate? Ryouta prayed fervently that he would be ignored and the man would go away. He prayed that whoever it was wasn't someone who knew him. He prayed that—

_Bam!_

"Ah, there you are."

Kise Ryouta shrieked in shock and panic, his arms flinging sideways to the walls to balance himself as he nearly toppled off the toilet seat in his surprise when the door flew open. W-What the hell?! He had locked the door, hadn't he?! But before Ryouta could voice out his worries about the man destroying a door lock, his amber eyes fell onto a sight he'd never thought he would see.

It was a person he'd never seen before. It was a stranger. The man who kicked the toilet door down was a total stranger.

Why was there a total stranger looking for him?

On impulse, his nervousness and fear came back as irritation, anger, and embarrassment.

"W-W-What the hell, man?! Don't you know what p-privacy is?! And c-couldn't you have just knocked?! I'm a little busy here, ya know! And why are you even looking for me, anyway?! W-Who are you?!"

The guy just quirked an eyebrow at him.

Well, so much for being defensive. Guess his outburst wasn't working well with the stuttering and slight whimpering—plus his tear-streaked face.

Before he could get past that thought, though, the guy suddenly sighed. "Come on. Get out," he said, and promptly tossed a small towel at Ryouta's face. "H-Huh?" voiced the blonde as he flung the cloth off his line of sight. But the guy was already gone. Ryouta heard something being set down on a surface and the sound of a zipper echoing inside the restroom.

The tennis player gulped in apprehension. There were a lot of gruesome possibilities playing in his mind right now, even though the stranger hadn't shown signs of having evil intentions towards him yet. You can never really be sure with people these days, after all. Ryouta's even more wary since he's a famous model around these parts.

"Are you going to get out on your own or do you want me to _drag_ you out?" snapped the stranger's voice. Ryouta immediately stepped out of the cubicle on instinct. Damn Akashicchi for training him like that.

To his surprise, the guy was rummaging inside a sports bag on the counter.

His bag.

Ryouta looked at the towel on his hands.

His towel.

"T-T-This is mine! That's my bag! W-Why do you have them?! Who _are_ you?!" demanded the blonde, taking a step back from the suspicious guy.

The guy turned to him with his stormy blue eyes. "I took it from your teammates," he shrugged as he answered, ignoring the last question.

"W-Why would you take it...? And hang on, why would they even hand it over to you?!" shrieked Ryouta, his fear rising. _W-Who is this guy...?_

"Well, they were already packing up, but you still weren't back. I figured that you wouldn't want them to come looking for you, so I just volunteered to find you and give you your stuff. Speaking of which, you should clean up."

Ryouta blinked in confusion. What? That still makes no sense. He looked at the other guy accusingly. "... You're lying."

The other arched an eyebrow. "No, really. You should clean up. You look like shit."

"No, I mean, you're lying about them giving you my stuff just like that!"

"Alright then," said the guy. He dug inside Kise's sports bag and took out a familiar black phone. "Call them."

Ryouta flinched in surprise at the suggestion. He stared hesitantly at his phone on the guy's hand.

He couldn't. Not after what happened today.

Strangely enough, the guy seemed to understand his inner turmoil. He put the phone back into the bag. "Well, whatever. Look, I'm doing this out of charity, so you should really just be glad I'm not robbing you or something."

"T-This... might be some elaborate plan or..."

"Whatever you say, pretty boy. Now are you gonna clean up or what?"

Ryouta didn't know what to do. This guy—now that he took a good long look, he realized that he was a teenager just like him—was ordering him around and had his belongings. The blonde could just make a run for it since he still finds the other one suspicious, but what would he benefit from that? He'd just find himself out in the open and he'd be wasting his energy for nothing but humiliation. Ryouta could still feel the exhaustion in his bones and the unusual warmth of his skin. Apparently, his fever's still around, too.

When he felt his towel being tugged, he jolted in surprise and stared at the other teen—who managed to swiftly close the distance between them. "W-What?"

"I said you should wash your face first. Come on." The stranger gently pushed Ryouta towards the sink and took the towel from him. It was only then that the blonde finally saw what a mess he really was.

Kise Ryouta stared back at his reflection in the mirror. His blonde locks were in disarray, his face was so pale and sweaty, and his eyes were watery and puffy. There really were faint streaks from his tears and his nose was all red from sniffing. The sight made Ryouta feel like crying again as he remembered why he was doing it in the first place, but when his eyes landed on the other teen rummaging in his bag again, his sorrow was replaced with self-consciousness. It wouldn't do to make a spectacle of himself here with this total stranger.

When he made no move to do anything, the guy looked back at him with those blue eyes of his. "Go on. Wouldn't want to go out like that, would you?"

Ryouta couldn't help but blush a little. _This is kinda embarrassing..._

Well, the guy had a point, anyway. He's gonna have to come out sooner or later, so he might as well clean up. Ryouta's logical side wanted to argue more that he can do whatever hell he wanted and it's none of the guy's business, but he didn't have the heart to say the words. There wasn't much fight left in him after that match.

That… and he couldn't really be rude to the guy who brought his stuff—whatever his intentions may be.

Ryouta turned on the faucet and started washing his face. There shouldn't be any evidence that he cried his heart out. The cold water felt wonderful, greatly relieving the heaviness he was feeling, if only for a moment. When he deemed his face acceptable enough to be normal, the other guy had readily handed the towel over to him.

"Here. Get changed." A bunch of clothes and a pair of shoes—that Ryouta recognized as the ones he had packed—were passed to the blonde as the towel was tucked away. Ryouta slightly blushed again. Why was this guy being so nice and considerate towards him? The blonde shook his head in defeat. He could think about that later. He turned away and started stripping to get it over with. As his dirty tennis uniform was cast aside one by one, the blonde teen started feeling better—and not just physically. It's funny how a change of clothes could do that.

Once Ryouta was done, the guy turned to him again. _Huh... He hadn't been watching me change..._ His uniform was tucked away into the bag, as well, and the guy picked up a scarf from the counter. Suddenly, he pressed the back of his hand against Ryouta's neck.

Ryouta flinched in pain. He hadn't been expecting his neck to be so tender and sensitive, and the guy's hand was too cold. The guy narrowed his eyes. "Tch. So you're still sick, huh?"

"H-How did you...?" Ryouta never told anyone about what he was feeling today. He managed to lie through his teeth and convince his coach that he was fine and ready to play. After all, when they were starting, his fever had subsided by then and he had been sure that he would really be fine.

But he had been wrong.

"Do you still feel dizzy? Nauseous?" asked the other teen, starting to put the scarf on the blonde model.

"N-No..."

"Hungry, then?"

"Uh, y-yeah, I guess..."

"Good," smiled the guy as he finished wrapping the scarf around Ryouta's neck. "Let's have dinner, then."

Ryouta blinked at the guy's smile. "Huh?"

_D-D-Did he just a-ask me out?!_

"W-W-Why would I have dinner with you?!"

_Ack! That's not what I wanted to say!_

Ryouta cursed himself. How many times had he stuttered today? He was really out of sorts right now. In response to the blonde's outburst, the stranger flashed a smirk. "Because I'm taking your racket as a hostage."

Ryouta looked up in surprise to find the guy suddenly carrying his racket bag on his shoulder. "H-Hey! That's—!"

"You want it back? Then follow me."

"E-Eh?! No fair!" whined Ryouta, quickly trying to grab the bag. "And besides, my racket isn't even in the—" As he managed to hold it, he felt the familiar contour of his equipment inside. He gaped at the guy.

Suddenly, the bag was snatched and thrust upon his face. Ryouta yelped in pain as his forehead was poked. "H-How...?"

The guy rested the racket bag on his shoulder. "I was looking for you, remember? So I came across your racket on the grass while trying to find you."

Kise blinked in amazement. "Who... Who are you, really?"

The stranger smiled again as he handed Ryouta's sports bag over to him. "I'm the guy who's gonna take you out to dinner." And at this, the blonde tennis player couldn't help but blush once again.

They finally exited the restroom. As soon as he was out, Ryouta was hit with the—surprisingly—chilly wind. It was already mid-August and summer was upon them, yet the coldness of the approaching night made it seem like spring was still around. He tugged his scarf more securely around his neck. It wasn't that particularly cold, but he had a fever and he didn't want it to get worse. Thank god he had the sense to pack his scarf and long-sleeved shirt this morning. The blonde gazed at the setting sunset, realizing that the Inter-High match today had been over for some time now. _So that's why we're having dinner..._ He tried not to think too much about how he wound up with the stranger forcing him to go outside.

The walk to the city was relatively silent, only footsteps and the faint buzzing of distant noises reaching the two teens' ears. Ryouta felt it a bit awkward to break the silence and start up a conversation—and besides, he couldn't even think of a proper topic for the two of them, anyway—so he decided to observe the other guy instead. He was a bit smaller than Kise, and had black spiky hair. But the main thing that had struck him when the toilet door opened was that the guy had a fierce expression. He looked pretty serious all the time—the only exceptions are when he had smiled and smirked at Ryouta.

And those eyes of his... Man, they were pretty intense. Compared to Ryouta's golden amber ones, his was a cold blue hue. Not too cold, though. More like, it can be hot and cold at the same time.

Kise Ryouta halted. Why was he pondering about the guy's eye color?

"Oi, you still coming? I have your precious racket, you know~," said the stranger in front of him in a sing-song voice. Ryouta slightly pouted at the teasing tone. "I can just buy another one and not follow you..." he retorted, glaring at the guy.

"Hmm, you can... but you won't," declared the black-haired guy. "You know why?"

At this, the blonde gave him a curious expression.

"Because you're not just some jock, Kise Ryouta, O Great First-Year Tennis Prodigy of Kiseki no Sedai Academy. You love your sport," he said, pointing towards Kise with the racket bag. "So you won't let a treasure like this be lost from you."

Ryouta could only stare. The guy was spot-on. Even though his racket was starting to show signs of abrasion, he still used it. It was his first and he loved the damn thing. But apparently, he hadn't loved it enough, seeing as he had eventually tossed it away a while ago.

Wait, did the guy just say his name and school?

"H-Hey, wait! You know who I am?"

"Nope. I asked your coach."

"O-Oh..." The blonde blinked at the quick reply, before hurriedly catching up to the spiky-haired teen.

A few minutes later, Kise now found himself seated inside a local restaurant with the stranger. Their order had just arrived, which consisted of okonomiyaki, a plate of gyoza, two bowls of tofu soup, and rice. " _Itadakimasu_ ," said the other and proceeded to mix the okonomiyaki.

Ryouta followed suit and reached for his chopsticks to start eating. It was still a bit awkward to talk, but it'll be more awkward to let the silence reign over them while having dinner, so the tennis player-slash-model decided to just go for it.

"Umm... You know, you really didn't have to... I mean, I'm... already grateful enough that you gave me my bag."

"You said you were hungry."

"W-Well, yeah, but I didn't exactly say it my—"

"Well, I wanted to do it, so just shut up and eat."

Ryouta kept quiet and took a bite of his okonomiyaki. So much for starting a conversation. It was kind of embarrassing for a total stranger—who still hasn't given his name yet, mind you—to treat him to a meal just because.

Was it out of pity? Because he had lost?

The sweet taste of okonomiyaki suddenly turned bitter in his tongue.

"Can't you just eat without thinking too much?" asked the black-haired guy so suddenly. Ryouta frowned at the statement. "Well, how _can_ I eat normally in this kind of situation? I don't know who you are, you just suddenly forced me to come, and I don't even know what you're trying to do!"

A few of the customers glanced in their direction at Kise's outburst, making him regret raising his voice. But what was more concerning was that Ryouta had just inadvertently started a staring contest with the guy sitting in front of him. Warm amber clashed with steel blue—neither color wavering, until the blonde finally felt embarrassed at what he was trying to do. His companion stared at him some more before finally sighing.

"I was there watching your match, you know," he started. _I knew it_ , thought the blonde, staying silent.

"I was just passing by today, but when I heard that they were having the Tennis Inter-High and the great Kiseki no Sedai was playing, I figured I might as well watch. And when I arrived, the next one was yours."

The tennis player looked down at his lap. Bitterness and shame swirled in his stomach as he recalled what happened.

"From the moment you started playing, I could already tell that there was something wrong with you. I've seen another match of yours back then during middle school, and I can honestly say that you were weaker today. Your movements were sluggish, you were always out of breath, and it seemed like you were forcing yourself to play."

Ryouta clenched his fists. It was true.

"You _knew_ yourself that you weren't in top shape to begin with, yet you _still_ participated. That was a reckless and stupid move, you idiot," reprimanded the black-haired teen, frowning at the blonde opposite him.

Kise Ryouta couldn't say anything and just bowed his head some more. It really _had_ been reckless of him. Because of him...

"Because of your loss, your team has now been dropped from the preliminaries. You won't be participating in an official match this year anymore. Your Third-Year seniors won't be _playing_ anymore! All because you couldn't let go of your damn pride as a 'prodigy'!"

The blonde bit his tongue as his vision started blurring. Yes, that was the harsh truth that Kise didn't want to admit. Because of his failure, he had cost their one chance at making it to the finals. It should have been a breeze for them. After all, this was his first year in the tennis team. They had great expectations from the revered genius that was Kise Ryouta. But they had hit a difficult obstacle today. Daiten High proved to be a tough opponent, as there were several new additions to their team. Even without Kise back then, Kiseki no Sedai barely got past Daiten. And so, they had been expecting the blonde to turn the tables when only one more win was needed to break the tie. That was how much confidence and trust his upperclassmen had in him.

But he blew his one chance. For the first time ever. He had wanted to be the one to play so badly. The one to bring home the victory for his team... He wanted it so badly that he neglected the warning bells in his head and kept playing. The others and Coach must've noticed his real state of health once the match started, but they couldn't have done anything about it by then. They can't switch him out like in team-play sports. After all, in tennis, you either stand alone on the court or with a partner.

He had been naïve. He thought he could actually do it. But this damn fever of his got in the way.

 _No..._ thought Ryouta, berating himself. _It wasn't my fever... it was my own self that got in the way. I had been too cocky..._

"But you know..."

Glassy amber orbs slowly looked up at the stranger. The other man flicked his eyes over to Ryouta and offered him a smile.

"I gotta admit... that determination of yours is pretty intense."

Ryouta blinked as heat crept up his cheeks.

"Even though you knew you might not win, you still kept fighting. You still kept moving. To be honest, I'm surprised you hadn't collapsed in exhaustion."

"And, uh... that's a good thing...?"

"It _means_ that even though you had been reckless and stupid, you still tried to make up for it because you knew that your team had been depending on you. You didn't want to let them down." Black-Haired Guy gave another elusive smile. "Am I right?"

The blonde could only stare at the other in wonder.

"Now listen here." His companion fully gave his attention to Ryouta and put his chopsticks down. "If you think that tennis isn't a team sport, then you're wrong. You may be standing alone on that court, but outside it is a team cheering you on. _Your_ team. So _no_ , you're _not_ alone, idiot. They depend on you the same way you depend on them. Got it?" He flicked the blonde's forehead for emphasis.

"Y-Yeah..." replied the tennis player meekly, rubbing his forehead. He still kept staring at the other teen in amazement, mulling the words over in his mind.

A team. He was part of a team.

... A team that may not want him back anymore, thanks to what he did...

The spiky-haired guy sighed, startling Ryouta out of his thoughts. "What is it this time?" asked the other, looking exasperated.

Embarrassed, Ryouta stared down at his lap again. "I... may not be a part of them anymore..."

"Can't you give them a little bit of credit, for once?"

Ryouta blinked as the guy pinned a blank stare on him. "E-Eh?"

His companion sighed once again. "When I asked for your bag, I asked them about you, too. I said that if they didn't want you around anymore, then they might as well say it to you themselves. But instead, they just gave me your stuff and told me to get your ass back in gear so you could train harder at the summer camp."

Ryouta gaped again. What? "S-So that means..."

"I _think_ they're not that mad at you for messing up and lying to them."

He... He wasn't off the team...

"Whelp, just confirm it with them tomorrow. Though really, I doubt they'll just let you go without a punishment."

The blonde gulped in trepidation.

"But seriously, you're not in that much trouble. You may be a genius of sorts, but you still make mistakes like the rest of the world, you know. What matters is that you learn from them."

Ryouta nodded silently. After a pause, they continued eating—the model's heart feeling lighter than it had been moments ago. It was strange, but there was just something comforting about the guy he was with. The words he spoke, the way he talked... He came off as strict and no-nonsense, but at the same time, he was encouraging and compassionate—leaving Ryouta feeling uplifted and emboldened.

He was like a cool older brother or something.

When the food had been half-eaten, Ryouta finally decided to ask a few questions that had been bothering him from the start. "Um, about my stuff..."

"Hmm?" voiced the black-haired teen, sipping his tofu soup.

"... You said that you volunteered to find me... But how did you even get my team to give them to you willingly?" He hoped the other wouldn't suggest calling his teammates again.

"Ah." The guy took some more okonomiyaki before answering. "I'm acquainted with your coach, so he was okay with what I was going to do."

"Eh? Acquainted? How?"

"We're acquaintances," reiterated the guy, smiling slightly as he continued eating.

"Ehhhh..." whined Ryouta, a bit annoyed that the other wasn't going to answer him properly. He was definitely teasing him. The tennis player wondered—not for the first time—who this person really was. Even if he asked though, Black-Haired Guy might just keep on avoiding his questions. It seemed like he was really intent on hiding his identity from Kise, whatever his reasons were. But funnily enough, the blonde model was somewhat fine with it. Any other day, he might've pestered the guy a little more, but today, he wasn't going to bother trying. After everything that's happened and all the things his companion did for him, Ryouta didn't want to break the comfortable atmosphere that was starting to envelop them.

It was nice. It wasn't quite like how he would be around his own friends, but at the same time, the blonde considered the spiky-haired teen a good acquaintance of sorts.

Whelp, at least he wasn't a total stranger anymore.

"Then, uh..." Ryouta hesitated on his next question. It wasn't intrusive, but he felt a bit anxious to hear the other's answer. "Why... Why are you doing this?"

The black-haired guy looked up at him. It seemed like he understood what Ryouta was getting at.

"Why did you find me? Why did you help me? Why are you treating me to dinner?"

The other stayed silent as Ryouta finished. The blonde felt his cheeks warming up as he realized how weird he had sounded when he asked those questions. Like he was desperate or something.

"... You reminded me of someone."

Ryouta looked back at his companion and blinked at the statement. "Eh? H-How so?"

The guy hummed in thought as he took a bite of his gyoza. "When you were playing this afternoon, you were so determined that I couldn't help but remember that person. He had been in the same situation as you, actually. Well, not that he had been sick during his match, but that..."

At this, the teen lowered his eyes. "... He had lost. Bitterly. Wore the same look you had hours ago."

Ryouta's lips parted in surprise. The young man in front of him looked so forlorn.

"He wanted to win so badly that time... but in the end, sometimes will and determination isn't enough. Watching you back then, I keep remembering what happened with his own match. I couldn't help but feel sorry for you, especially when you ran away. He did the same thing."

Kise kept staring sadly at his companion. He didn't dwell much on the fact that he was right and the black-haired teen _had_ pitied him. He was more concerned about the guy looking down for the first time since he met him a while ago.

"Fortunately, someone helped him—just like what I did to you. Everyone needs a pick-me-up every now and then, after all."

At this, Ryouta smiled at him appreciatively. He was so nice for someone he doesn't even know. A part of his mind argued that maybe he was just acting like this because of who Kise was, but another part cleverly countered that he wouldn't have been so pushy and domineering a while ago if being buddies with Ryouta was his goal.

When the guy noticed his brightening smile, he blinked in surprise. Was that a blush? "What are you smiling about? Come on, eat up!"

Ryouta chuckled and did as he was told. He felt even better after hearing that Black-Haired Guy's purpose was to actually cheer him up. A familiar bout of warmth crept up his cheeks as the thought dwelled on his mind.

After dinner, the two boys proceeded towards the train station as they chatted along the way. It was really strange, talking to the other about everything and nothing like they had been friends for a long time. Questions about the black-haired teen's identity kept popping up in Ryouta's mind, but he ignored them all. Kise couldn't believe it himself, but he was actually starting to like this little game they were playing. The other guy's name being kept a secret was something of a thrill to him—like finding out would break the spell between them and they couldn't go back to being two strangers on a magical night or something. And for some reason, he didn't want that, despite his curiosity.

The thought suddenly made his heart swell strangely. What was this feeling?

They boarded the train to Tokyo, and stood by the door inside the full car. "So you'll be getting off first, huh..." said the blonde teen as they left the station.

"Why the long face? Did you want me to walk you home or something?" quipped the spiky-haired one, raising his brow. His smirk grew as he watched the tennis player's face redden at the insinuation.

"N-No..." denied Ryouta, diverting his gaze to the view of the buildings they were passing by outside. Walking home together... his companion made it sound like something straight out of a shoujo manga.

"Ah, here." Kise's racket bag was finally handed over to him. "I'm releasing my hostage," declared his black-haired acquaintance, smiling at him.

"Ah, but first..." Ryouta tilted his head in curiosity as the other took the bag again. Suddenly, he was whacked on the head—but not too hard. "E-Eh?! What was that for?!" exclaimed the blonde indignantly as other passengers watched them in surprise.

"Don't be an idiot again," admonished the other teen to Ryouta. The model blinked at the words as he rubbed his head.

Ahhhh... He was talking about what happened at his match. Ryouta stood straight and gave him a serious look. "I can't really promise that... but I'll do my best to be a good kouhai."

The other nodded, looking satisfied at his reply. "And don't just throw this away on a whim!" he added, whacking Ryouta again. The blonde only chuckled and nodded.

"Well, this is my stop," said the black-haired teen. Ryouta started and was taken aback by how quickly they had arrived. He turned to see his companion already stepping off the train amidst the leaving crowd.

"I expect promising results next year. Oh, and good luck with your punishment," said the guy pleasantly, clapping his shoulder when they were the only ones left at the door. Ryouta groaned. "Don't remind me."

They parted as the familiar warning buzzer of the closing doors sounded off. "Right," replied the spiky-haired guy, handing back the racket bag.

Ryouta didn't know what it was at the time—maybe it was the lighting or something—but for some reason... time seemed to slow down as the other smiled at him and turned around to walk away.

"Good night, Kise," shouted the guy as he left, waving his hand without looking back.

Ryouta was left staring as the automatic doors closed with a hiss.

_So... cool..._

He dazedly took an empty seat when the train started moving again. That was it. The end. A night with a stranger whom had purposely cheered him up had finally ended. He stared down at the equipment in his hands and the sports bag by his feet.

"Ahhhhh!" he exclaimed, jumping up and startling the remaining passengers. "That was the perfect moment to ask for his name!" He groaned, slapped his forehead, and cursed his luck.

 

* * *

 

"The next day, I apologized to my teammates, started over, and well..." trailed off Kise Ryouta as he looked to the ceiling of Kuroko Tetsuya's apartment, "... I never saw him again. Until last Thursday."

The blonde tennis player finally finished his reminiscing, and the living room was left silent—save for the bustle in the kitchen. Ryouta sighed tiredly, leaning back against the sofa. He had finally shared his story to other people besides his sisters. He looked at the others in the room to gauge their reactions.

Midorimacchi was polishing his lucky item. _Midorimacchiiiii!_ whined Kise indignantly as he accused him with teary eyes. He was his best friend, dammit! He should be paying attention, at least! But the green-haired teen didn't even bat an eyelash at the model's pout.

Ryouta turned to look at his other friend on the sofa. Unfortunately, Aomine Daiki was still asleep. _Aominecchiiiiii..._

He looked at Kuroko and saw the pale blunette petting Nigou. When Sakurai re-entered the living room, he asked for some milkshake once again. Ryouta chuckled wryly at the exasperated look on the brunette. Sakurai refused him again and flashed Ryouta a reassuring smile, then went back to the kitchen. He and Kagamicchi had probably been listening, as well.

Now the only one left was... Takaocchi. Ryouta found him sitting cross-legged on the sofa opposite them and had his eyes closed. It looked like he was dozing off, but Ryouta could hear a faint hum coming from the raven-haired teen. Sharp, silvery-blue eyes opened and gazed at Kise with an intensity different from the one he felt before he shared his story.

Ryouta vaguely felt Shintarou tense next to him.

"You really never saw him at school? Not even a feeling that you had glimpsed his face?" queried Takao, crossing his arms and looking contemplative.

"No, never," answered the blonde earnestly. "I think it's because I seriously devoted all my time on practice and modeling last year. And isn't it that the Glee Club was formed last year, too? Between the Dance Troupe and that, it would make sense that Yukiocchi wouldn't have any spare time, as well."

"Could be..." said Kazunari. "It sounds so impossible that you guys never saw each other again, though. But then again, Kagami and Aomine never noticing Tetsu-chan and Ryou-chan as their classmates had sounded impossible, too."

A cough from the kitchen could be heard.

"Well, the academy grounds _is_ pretty huge," said Sakurai, joining them as he handed a glass to Kuroko. "You frequent the sports facilities outside, while Yukio-san is always in the clubroom. Considering the fact that you never knew him to be a Kiseki no Sedai student, I guess it really would make sense."

"Ryou-kun, why milk?" piped in Kuroko monotonously, wearing a thin white moustache.

Kise and Takao snorted in laughter as Sakurai sighed exasperated. "Because you can't have vanilla milkshake in the morning, Tetsuya-san!" he reiterated tiredly.

"Oh, come on, Ryou-chan, I'm sure he can—"

Ryou lifted a foot and harshly stomped on Kazunari's own innocent foot that happened to be near him. "No, he _cannot_ , Kazunari-san."

Kise cringed as Takao tearfully kept his mouth shut and nursed his injured limb. "W-Well, you do have a point there, Sakuraicchi. Our school's really big." He glanced to find Kuroko dutifully drinking his milk.

After a moment of sipping—on Kuroko's part—and foot-massaging—on Takao's part—Sakurai got up and headed back to the kitchen. But before he left the teens in the living room, he cocked his head towards his raven-haired friend. "Well? Are you satisfied now?" he asked Takao, the question confusing both Kise and Midorima who were watching them.

Takao crossed his arms and looked constipated.

Sakurai sighed and left the room. "I think it's about time you gave Kise-san your answer," called out the brunette. Hearing that, the blonde tennis player looked back at Takao in surprise. He had almost forgotten why he told them his story in the first place. Suddenly, he felt a hand clasp his shoulder gently. He glanced and found Midorima staring at Takao, as well.

The kind gesture made Kise want to hug the living daylights out of the green-haired teen, but he withheld himself. It would shatter his friend's pride, after all.

"Hmmmnnnghhh..." The raven-haired teen before them groaned with eyes shut—as if he was concentrating so hard, then silver-blue eyes suddenly opened and stared at Ryouta with scrutiny.

The blonde couldn't really properly describe the look Takaocchi was sporting. It was like he was trying hard not to... smile?

"Ohhhhhhhh—OF COURSE I'LL HELP YOU, YOU IDIOT~!"

Ryouta flinched as the previously-serious male suddenly leapt from his seat, jumped over the coffee table, and smothered Ryouta in his embrace—in a single bound. Needless to say, Kise Ryouta and Midorima Shintarou were both left gawking.

"I MEAN, COME ON, KISE! YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH MY STUPID BEST FRIEND~! OF COURSE I'LL HELP~! I'LL FINALLY GET TO BE A MATCHMAKER! AHHHH, TO THINK THAT YOUR FIRST MEETING WAS _THAT_ ROMANTIC~! AND THEN YOU MEET AGAIN?! KYAAAAAAAA, THE ROMAAAAAAANCE~! AH, BUT I CAN'T _BELIEVE_ THAT HE DIDN'T ASK FOR YOUR NUMBER! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! HOW STUPID CAN HE GET?!"

Ryouta stared wide-eyed, wondering who the hell this gushing raven-haired guy shaking him was and what happened to the teen glaring at him a while ago. He could see hearts, flowers, and sparkles floating behind him.

"You'll have to excuse him, Kise-san. Kazunari-san's a hopeless romantic," quipped Sakurai, setting up the dining table.

"Oh, shut up, Ryou-chan. You read shoujo manga, too."

"I-I do not!"

"Well, anyway..." Takao playfully ruffled Kise's blonde locks, and gave him the first bright grin of the day since the six o' clock fiasco a while ago. "I'm glad we're finally done with that. Lord knows I've been trying not to twirl you around the room for the past few minutes."

"H-Huh?" squeaked out Ryouta in embarrassment, blinking.

"The interrogation! Everything!" replied Kazunari, sweeping his arms for emphasis. "I know I was acting like a prick moments before, but..." And here, he smiled fondly at the blonde teen, making Kise blink some more. "... trust me, man. It was for a good reason."

"Wha... What do you mean?" asked Ryouta confusedly.

"Well, everyone always sees you as this happy-go-lucky guy who seems a bit loose. The only time you're ever really serious is when tennis is involved, from what I heard," grinned the silvery-eyed teen.

"Soooooo, I talked that way on purpose to see how you would handle things. And man, you should've seen yourself!" he continued, gripping Ryouta's shoulders in excitement, "It was like you were on a tennis match, Kise! It was pretty intense, I tell ya! I had a hard time not laughing in joy 'cause I finally found someone perfect for Yuu-chan~!"

"R-Really...?" _I looked so serious...? Well, I mean—I know that I had been trying to be serious from the start, but honestly, I was feeling more nervous..._ thought the blonde.

"See?! You didn't even realize that you were in the zone when we were talking about your Prince Charming~! This just proves how much you really care about him~!"

"O-Ohhh..." And at this, Ryouta couldn't help blushing again.

"Besides, it wasn't like I was really against you in the first place," added Kazunari, waving off his previous attitude. "I just wanted to make you realize how genuine your feelings really are... since it sounded like you were a bit unsure of yourself," he said, smiling knowingly at the blonde tennis player.

"You n-noticed...?" mumbled said blonde.

"Of course I picked up on that! I mean, why would you come here in the first place if you were so confident in getting Yuu-chan?"

Takaocchi had a point. His confidence had been wavering. Sure, he could've just winged it, but knowing that he may have allies in Kasamatsu Yukio's friends gave him a good reason to visit them and win them over. The more support he had, the better he could be in trying to befriend Yukiocchi.

"So long story, short: I did that to help you," declared Kazunari, patting Ryouta's shoulder. _And to give myself closure, too_ , he added inwardly. The raven-haired teen watched as a myriad of emotions crossed Kise's face. Happiness, embarrassment, excitement... all of these for Yukio. A faint smile tugged at Kazunari's lips. When he had started to realize that the blonde teen was falling in love with Yuu-chan, he hadn't been too sure if it was the right time. But now... he was definitely sure. It was finally time to let go and start a new chapter in both his and Yukio's life.

A tiny prick of pain was felt inside, but Kazunari didn't mind it. He had gotten over that ages ago. Right now, the person meant for his best friend was right in front of him and he'd be damned if he fucked this up. Like hell was that happening.

"Tha... Thank you, Takaocchi..." said Kise earnestly, the relief and joy in his voice immediately warming Kazunari's heart and erasing the pain he had felt.

"Well, I'm still not happy about you waking us all up," he said, giving an unamused look, "But don't worry, man. We've got your back."

"Great. Can we eat now?"

Everyone was startled to find Aomine awake and stretching on the sofa. "A-Aominecchi?! How long have you been awake?!"

"You missed the best part, man!" quipped Takao.

"That's what you get for sleeping late," scolded Midorima, who's finally gotten over Takao's gushing a while ago.

"Not my fault Kuroko has a damn good couch," retorted the navy blue-haired teen, yawning.

"Ryou-kun picked it for me," replied Kuroko behind his glass of milk, pale eyes sparkling with mirth.

"I didn't just 'pick it for you', I had to _buy it for you_ when you accidentally set the last one on _fire_ ," mumbled Sakurai, rubbing his temple in exasperation. He was heard loud and clear, though, so needless to say, he and Kuroko got a few shocked looks.

"Uh... Breakfast is ready?" said Kagami apprehensively, having heard the conversation. At the announcement, the boys quickly moved to the large dining area of Kuroko's apartment and sat down—all of them in better spirits than they were in an hour ago. Who knew that discussing about a love confession could actually work up an appetite?

Once they finishing saying grace, everyone—save Kagami and Sakurai—turned to marvel at the feast laid before the table. Despite the abnormal amount of eggs stored in Kuroko's fridge, there were still some non-egg dishes prepared. As they passed the bowls of food around, Sakurai mentioned having to go back to his own apartment for his groceries while Kise had just started his story. Kuroko and Takao both thought it typical of the brunette. He was always about eating healthy and stuff. There were vegetable-stuffed omelets, chicken soup, steaming hot rice, and a bowl of spinach salad, to name a few. What surprised the guests of the apartment, though, was that non-traditional Japanese food had also been served on the table—and in heaping amounts. Two large platters filled with delicious pancakes, a basket of toasted bread, and two plates of poached eggs were the main attraction of the meal.

"I hope you guys don't mind a foreign-styled breakfast..." said Sakurai apprehensively.

"No, not at all! Kagamicchi whips up these kinds of food, too," replied Kise eagerly.

"I told you, they'll happily eat anything good," added Kagami, pouring syrup on his mountain of pancakes. It seemed like he and Aomine were competing with their pile of food.

"You two made all of these while Kise was telling us his story?" asked Takao incredulously, still blinking at the huge feast. "I mean, I know you guys are good at this, but..."

"I didn't take that long, did I?" queried said blonde wide-eyed, trying a stuffed omelet. At the first bite, he looked at it in wonder and bit again.

"Nah. I guess we just finished fast 'cause we're used to cooking," answered Kagami, "Though honestly, I've never used so many eggs in my life before..."

Sakurai chuckled sheepishly. "Well, when you have that one friend who buys too much of it, you're gonna have to do something about it sooner or later."

"Are you two mocking my egg-boiling skills again?"

Everyone flinched in shock at the monotonous voice. The petite owner of said voice was sitting next to Sakurai and was opposite Kagami. Finishing his glass of milk, he forcefully sliced his poached egg while staring into the redhead's soul with his bluish and blank eyes. "I can assure you that I'm better at boiling eggs than you, Kagami-kun." Then, an audible chomp sounded off from the pale blunette as he started eating.

Kagami fought the urge to laugh out loud. He really didn't know if the sight before him was intended to be intimidating or just plain silly. But apparently, Kuroko meant serious business... even though his hair was still that ridiculous bedhead. Seriously, why does it still look like that?

"Alright, Tetsuya-san, we get it. Hard-boiled eggs are your specialty," interrupted Sakurai, offering the spinach salad to everyone. "Kazunari-san, stop laughing and eat."

Taking a portion of the offered salad, Midorima Shintarou watched as everyone interacted with each other over the food. Kise sat at the head of the table, with him and Takao on either side. Sakurai and Kuroko were sitting along with Takao while he sat next to Aomine and Kagami—the two already on their second servings. The green-haired teen had to admit: the meal was quite delicious. It wasn't a traditional Japanese breakfast, but everything was well-balanced for the first meal of the day. It seemed that Sakurai had quickly learned to make large servings whenever Aomine and Kagami are involved, as well. Kagami probably helped him with that. As the archer ate in silence, he waited for the real talk to start.

Takao had already agreed to help Kise, and now, the only thing left was for him to talk about how he was going to do that. Honestly, the silver-eyed teen had really thrown him off back then. One minute, he was acting so uncharacteristically stuck-up; now he was back to being the talkative guy annoying everyone. Takao Kazunari was strange, indeed. Though he couldn't exactly fault the other for being pissed off at Kise waking them up, he still really couldn't understand why he had to act like that. The teen had reasoned that he wanted to bring out Kise's genuine feelings about the matter—and in a way, Shintarou had to admit that it actually worked quite well—but what he couldn't understand was why Takao was so passionate about this that he had to go to the trouble to do that.

Was he and Kasamatsu really that close? He did mention that they had been friends since childhood. Shintarou always saw them comfortably bantering about like how Kagami and Aomine were, so he guessed that was a sign of their friendship. But for him to thoroughly assess Kise and his feelings? He hadn't really expected the silvery-eyed boy to do that.

It seems there was more to the boisterous young man than meets the eye.

"So you never really found out who he was, huh?" started Takao after several moments.

"I asked my teammates but they had no idea, and Coach wouldn't spill," replied Kise. Kazunari hummed in thought.

"Yuu-chan probably told him to keep it a secret. He's mysterious like that," he said, rolling his eyes at the weirdness of his best friend. "But whatever. Not like it's gonna save him now~!" And at this, the raven-haired teen cackled evilly.

To which Ryou and Tetsuya exasperatedly shook their heads at.

"Now..." started Kazunari again, "Yuu-chan's gonna be a tough one. He sees himself as this badass macho man or something, and most of the time, weird stuff don't usually faze him."

"Which is partly _your_ doing," quipped Ryou without missing a beat.

"Yeah, yeah. But!" Kazunari lifted his finger and grinned. "He's not immune to embarrassingly corny stuff. He _avoids_ them, but he gets affected by them, too— _big time_."

"So all you have to do," he pointed at the blonde tennis player sitting to his left, "is to just keep hanging out with him. Get to know him as a friend for now. After all, like they say: 'Lovers were friends at first', right? It'll be easier for you since Yuu-chan will come to like your presence."

Kise mulled the words over. "It _is_ the best thing to do right now. He won't like it if I suddenly come on too strong."

"He _definitely_ won't like it. You'll be lucky if you can get away with just a black-eye," agreed Takao. "Remember what happened yesterday at Kaijo? Because you overwhelmed him too much, he resorted to punching you—just to get you to shut up."

Kagami and Aomine snorted in amusement, while Kise turned pink at the memory. "But~!" countered the raven-haired. "That means that he's at least comfortable being himself with you now! He had been standing awkwardly next to you when we all met, hadn't he?"

"'Cause Kise was being a romantic airhead that time," answered Aomine, refilling his plate with pancakes. "No offense, but you gotta admit that _was_ kind of your fault," said Kazunari. The others nodded along with him.

Ryouta blushed even more at his blunders. "Okay, okay, I get it! So, what do I have to do now?"

"Just befriend him, Kise-kun. And you need to go at it slow and steady," replied Kuroko. "Yukio-kun is not much of a sociable person, so don't expect him to be open to your advances when you're just starting; but once he considers you as a friend, he'll be more accepting." Nigou barked along as he stood up on hind legs beside Kise's chair, whining at the blonde teen.

"But... do you think he'll be fine with my... f-feelings...?" asked Ryouta anxiously, hesitantly scratching the puppy's head and giving him some toast. The biggest problem he was thinking about was how Yukiocchi will react if he learns that a guy has a crush on him. Looking at the steely blue-eyed boy, he didn't look like the type to entertain that kind of thing...

"Well... he'll at least be taken aback, but I don't think he'll be _that_ surprised," said Takao, cutting off Kise's worried musings. "I mean, with how you acted towards him the past two days, I think he kind of understands that you like him to some degree. He's not that oblivious."

Ryouta sighed in relief at that. At least—

"And besides, when I came out to him, he was okay with it; so I guess that means he won't be _too_ bothered finding out that you like him."

Ryouta froze.

Midorima, Aomine, and Kagami snapped their heads up towards the raven-haired teen—their plates momentarily forgotten.

"Y...Y-You're..." stuttered Ryouta, staring wide-eyed at Takao.

"You're _gay_?!" exclaimed Aomine in incredulity, beating Ryouta.

A moment of awkward silence, then...

Kazunari burst in laughter, clutching his stomach. "Oh... Oh god... Ha ha! Y-You should've s-seen your faces! BWA HA HA HA!"

The four athletes continued to gawk at him in silence. Sakurai just gave them an apologetic smile while Kuroko continued eating.

"Oh god ha ha..." chuckled Kazunari after a while. "Yeah... ha ha... I'm gay. Is there a _problem_ with that?" he quickly changed his demeanor and said it in a challenging tone, looking at them haughtily.

"N... No..." choked Kise, blinking slowly, "N-Not really..."

"Wasn't expecting me to like men, huh?"

"More like we just weren't expecting you to reveal it to us," corrected Kagami uncomfortably, "and this early, to boot."

"Well, I had to inform you guys sooner or later," grinned Takao, "and _no_ , I don't like any of you and I won't grope you or something. I have standards, at the very least."

"We're eternally grateful," quipped Midorima sardonically, going back to eating. "Is this why you're alright with Kise liking Kasamatsu?" asked Aomine, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep," answered Kazunari confidently. "Gotta support a fellow brother, right?"

"A-Ah! I-I'm not—!"

"Relax, relax. I know," placated the raven-haired teen. "You just happen to like Yuu-chan in that way, but you're not attracted to other guys. It's not too hard to figure out."

"So Kise-kun is... 'Yukio-sexual'?" piped up Kuroko with his blank blue eyes.

"E-Eh?!"

"You guys aren't seriously going to give it a name, are you?" asked Sakurai, groaning.

"U-Uh..."

"Yes! He is 'Yukio-sexual'! But I think 'Kasamatsu-sexual' sounds better. What do you think, Tecchan?"

All the while, Ryouta blinked at the boy on his right in wonder. He didn't know if he should intervene on their heated discussion of what to call his crush, but a more pressing thought process—the one that made him freeze up a while ago—was registering on his mind once again.

Takao was gay. He was best friends with Kasamatsu Yukio—Ryouta's crush.

Takao likes guys. Kasamatsu Yukio is a guy.

Ryouta's eyes immediately turned downcast as he looked at his plate.

"Relax, Kise. I'm not a rival."

Ryouta started at the words, and looked up to see Takao smiling warmly at him. "Yukio's a great guy, but if I was that serious about him, we would've been dating ages ago and I wouldn't be here right now. He's cute and all, but I prefer someone a _bit_ taller."

Hearing that, the blonde's chest felt a little bit lighter. The silvery-eyed teen had a point. There's really no reason for him to think so badly about Takao. His mind stubbornly argued that there still was, considering Takao's preferences and his relationship with Yukiocchi, but Kise vehemently ignored that and firmly decided that he would trust his newfound friend.

After all, that's what friends do.

"But anyway, going back to Yuu-chan," continued Takao, after seeing Ryouta's relieved disposition. "You just really have to befriend him. Of course, that being the case, I can't reveal anything about him. 'Cause, you know, not only will that defeat the whole purpose of this but he'll also find us suspicious. Wouldn't want him finding out what we're up to, right?"

Ryouta nodded, understanding the situation. Even though he asked for help, he was still going to have to do everything on his own through hard work.

"But... I can at least impart some, uh, not-so-suspicious things to know about him," added Takao with a mischievous wink to Kise.

The blonde perked up at that. "Like what?" he asked and leaned closer, excited to learn something new about the steely blue-eyed boy.

"Well," started Takao, drinking some juice. "Yuu-chan likes mango ice cream. Actually... he likes _anything_ in mango flavor. Mango fruit shake, mango yogurt, mango juice, mango tarts... When it comes to the real fruit, though, he's very picky 'cause he only likes the sweet kind."

The blonde tennis player nodded, then—realizing that he might forget—quickly took out his phone and jotted the information down.

"He's a gamer, too," continued the raven-haired teen. "Both of us are—online and console. Don't be surprised if you see a shelf full of games in his room." At the mention of Kasamatsu's room, Ryouta turned slightly pink at the insinuations and got redder when Takao wiggled his eyebrows at him.

Sakurai elbowed him on the side. "Yukio-san also likes to jog early in the morning and at night. He switches his routine a lot," interjected the brunette.

"Are you encouraging Kise to stalk him?" taunted Kazunari.

"N-No, I'm helping him! There's a difference!"

"Sooo... you're helping him stalk Yuu-chan."

"NO! Kazunari-san, you know what I mean!"

Ryouta stared at the words in his phone and mused about the info he got as Takao teased Sakurai some more. Yukiocchi likes mangoes, games, and jogging... Well, it was a start. At least they don't sound that suspicious. He could just stay silent about him knowing beforehand and the black-haired teen would never find out. Of course, that requires the blonde to not be so forward in his advances.

Ryouta cheered himself on under his breath and nodded absentmindedly. Unbeknownst to him, Takao stole a glance at him and smiled.

"So that's it? You guys are just gonna give Kise information about Kasamatsu?" asked Kagami, still eating.

"Nope, that's not all," answered Kazunari. "We'll also help you set up dates. Lords knows how _taxing_ it is to convince Yuu-chan to go on a date, so you'll need us. Plus, if things go wrong, at least you've got back-up."

"You're going to spy on them?" interjected Midorima, raising a brow.

"Correction: _we_ are going to spy on them," said Kazunari, donning a wide grin—to which the three other athletes started to protest against. "Of course, we won't always do that," he immediately placated, "In fact, there's really no need to do that every time they go out. We'll probably just do it for the first few dates and make sure everything's going okay."

They grumbled and complained a bit, but didn't put up much of a fuss at the plan. They might get even worse jobs to do for this so-called "matchmaking gig".

Kazunari grinned in anticipation. He couldn't wait to start planning all the dates with Kise. Yuu-chan won't stand a chance against them. "Ah! But Kise!" he suddenly remembered. "We can't just do this for free, you know~."

Kise's eyes widened as he immediately understood what the raven-haired teen was getting at. He glanced nervously at his friends.

"What do you mean by that...?" asked Aomine cautiously, getting increasingly worried as Takao kept grinning.

"Well, you _are_ gonna take Yuu-chan's time with us for a while. The least you could do is to compensate us in some way..."

Aomine, Kagami, and Midorima immediately made to stand, but Takao beat Kise in stopping them.

"We're not asking you to be our slaves! We just want your help!" clarified Kazunari quickly, hoping they would reconsider. The three looked at him in confusion. "Help in what?" asked Ryou, also confused.

The silver blue-eyed teen pointed at the redhead and the navy blue-haired teen. "I want you two to tutor Tetsu-chan and Ryou-chan. No, scratch that; I _need_ you to."

"Eh?!" squawked Sakurai in surprise. Even Kuroko looked up, blinking. Perturbed, Kazunari pointed a thumb at them. "They're failing so bad at PE, it's not funny anymore. They barely passed last year, you know."

The two in question surreptitiously glanced elsewhere—the brunette, with heated cheeks. "I'll say," muttered Aomine, assessing Kuroko and Sakurai's lanky frames as they sat back down again. It was obvious they weren't good in sports.

"Since Yuu-chan will be busy hanging out with Kise, they won't have anyone good enough to help them. And you guys couldn't be more perfect for the job!" At the mention of being "good enough" and "perfect", Kagami and Aomine couldn't help but puff out their chests in pride. Midorima just shook his head at the display and went back to eating. Takao was practically outright manipulating them with flattery and the two didn't even notice.

"So, I'd like you two to tutor my friends here in basketball and soccer. Tetsuya more so. Ryou's at least decent enough to play basketball."

"Do you _really_ have to mention that, Kazunari-san?" grumbled Ryou, trying not to grimace at his lack of skill. Tetsuya drank another glass of milk, pretending to ignore the fact that he was being insulted with his current abilities and wanted to jab someone's stomach.

"So what do you say?" asked Takao, waving away Ryou's complaints. When the two athletes only glanced at each other in reluctance, Kise Ryouta decided to make himself known once again.

"Guys, please...?" he pleaded, "They're going to help me with Yukiocchi, so I at least need to pay them back. Kurokocchi and Sakuraicchi look like they really need your help, and you guys are the best tutors they could get. This is a great opportunity! Look, I'm not even gonna force you now! Just please? Do this for me?" Here, he put on his best begging look.

Ignoring him, the two best friends glanced at each other again and gave Midorima one, too. "Soooo, this isn't blackmail and we get to call this a favor that you owe us?" asked Kagami, looking skeptical.

Kise paused from doing his look... and nodded decisively.

"And you owe _each_ of us?" added Aomine, looking unamused.

Kise looked down... and nodded again.

"On our _own_ terms?" pressed Midorima further, looking condescending.

Kise gulped a bit... but finally nodded gravely. At his acquiescence, the three all broke into their own signature predatory smirks. The blonde gulped again. They were definitely going to make him suffer.

"Alright. You got yourself a deal," said Aomine to Takao. "We'll teach those two while you help Goldie with his love life."

"Great! Hear that, Ryou-chan? You have a master to teach you now!"

"I don't know if I should hit you for rubbing it in or hug you for getting us help..."

"You do the hugging, Ryou-kun. I'll do the hitting."

"But wait, what about Midorima?" queried Kagami, managing to save Takao from Kuroko's jab. "What's he gonna do for you? It can't just be us."

At the question, Shintarou paused from eating. When Aomine and Kagami had been propositioned, he had been secretly glad that he hadn't been drafted into tutoring Kuroko and Sakurai. It was bad enough that he was suspended from the Archery Club and had to work for the Glee Club. But seeing as how he was the only one left with nothing to do, it really wouldn't be fair—even though Shintarou wanted to say, "to hell with fairness".

"He'll hang out with me."

The green-haired teen suddenly looked at Takao with astonishment. Did he just hear that right...?

"What?! You're not even gonna make him do anything?!" complained Aomine.

"Well, no one here needs archery lessons," retorted Takao. "Besides, I'll be the only one left not benefiting from this deal, and I say he hangs out with me." He turned to Shintarou. "You're always with Kise, right?"

The archer grimaced. "Unfortunately," he answered, ignoring his best friend's whine.

"Well, since Kise will be with Yuu-chan for a while and these guys will be with these two, you and I won't have anyone to walk home with, right? Why don't we start from there?"

Midorima blinked. That _was_ true... but it wasn't as if he would be so lonely without his three idiot friends. He'd like to go home without Kise babbling his ears off and Kagami and Aomine not inadvertently getting him into trouble for once, thank you very much. And he'd really rather not stick around the annoying Takao Kazunari, to be honest.

"Come on, Shin-chan... It'll be so lonely..." whined Takao petulantly. Shintarou immediately frowned. He hadn't heard the other call him that ridiculous pet name for a while now. Yes, _definitely_ annoying; just like Kise.

"Please, Midorimacchi?" joined said blonde, now giving him the puppy-dog eyes, as well. "I'll owe you one if you do this..."

Then again, he'll be able to have revenge on Kise for this ridiculous fiasco if he does so...

Shintarou sighed. Well, it was something, at least. "Fine," he gritted out. At Kise and Takao's triumphant cries, he couldn't help but think of how bad "hanging out" with the silver-eyed member of Misdirection could be.

 _Would be_ , corrected Shintarou inwardly, already dreading next week's arrival.

Having finally settled Midorima's part of the bargain, Kagami—who had been silently contemplating on when he'll teach Kuroko and Sakurai—suddenly remembered a question that came to him this morning when they all gathered here. "By the way, how did you know where Kuroko lives?" he asked Kise, going for his fourth round against Aomine.

"Ah, Momocchi helped me," answered Ryouta, remembering the pink-haired girl's excitement when he related his plans to her—despite it being so early in the morning. "She only gave me Kurokocchi's address and just told me that Kurokocchi will handle the rest if I tell him my plans."

At this, Takao paused and wondered a bit. "... Well, I guess that makes sense that she knows Tecchan's address," he grinned. "She does have a little crush on him, after all."

Aomine Daiki hastily gulped before he could cough and gawked at the pale blunette. "What?! Wait, so _you're_ 'Tetsu-kun'?!" The other athletes stared at Kuroko in surprise.

"Yes," nodded Tetsuya, familiar with Momoi's nickname for him. Daiki gawked some more, looking incredulous at discovering that the teen opposite Taiga was the _same guy_ Satsuki had been gushing about to him as her "beloved".

"... Man, I thought you would be more..." trailed off Aomine, blinking at Kuroko and wondering what Satsuki found so interesting about him. "... Well, more."

A tense silence befell the dining room as Kuroko Tetsuya stared at the soccer player with his blank eyes. Everyone awkwardly stopped eating as they could literally feel the room freezing up. When the pale blunette's eyes started glinting in what could only be described as murderous, Sakurai Ryou immediately broke free from the silence.

"A-Aomine-san, would you like some bread?! Here!" he shouted in panic, shoving the dark-skinned teen the basket of toasts. Aomine, who had been feeling scared a while ago—but won't admit it—at Kuroko's eyes, suddenly jolted in surprise as he was handed the basket by a skittish brunette.

"T-Tetsuya-san, would you like some milkshake?!" asked Ryou, praying to God that his ruse would work. Fortunately enough, God heard him and his best friend snapped out of his murderous musings almost immediately.

"Yes. Vanilla, please," answered Tetsuya, his voice monotonous to the others but Takao and Sakurai heard the familiar eagerness in it. The brunette hurriedly went to set up the blender, lest the blunette relive the urge to hit someone again. He prayed some more that Aomine-san would have the decency to keep quiet after that. Of course he couldn't fault the other for not knowing beforehand, though. He, Kazunari-san, and Yukio-san went through the same thing, too, when they became friends with Tetsuya-san. One should always remember that the teen was irritable when he lacks sleep, and glancing at the clock in the kitchen—which read 7:58—Ryou confirmed that it really _was_ still too early for Tetsuya-san on their day-off. _Ahhhh, and here I was telling him that he couldn't drink milkshakes right now..._

Meanwhile, the others back at the dining table all ate in silence once again. No one really knew how to relieve the tension still lingering around—even though Kuroko was already back to normal and avidly watching Sakurai in the kitchen. Aomine was feeling awkward the most.

Finally deciding on a safe topic, Kazunari cleared his throat to get their attention. "Hey, Kise. Shin-chan, uh, said that you give people these nicknames 'cause you respect them, right?" At the blonde tennis player's upbeat nod, he further asked, "Then what made you respect _us_ and give us nicknames? We've only met recently, you know..."

"Yeah, now that you mention it... why did you, Kise?" joined Kagami, relaxing a bit. "I don't think I've ever seen you do that to people you just met."

Kise chuckled at the questions. "That's because they quickly impressed me!"

"How?" asked Aomine, feeling brave enough to speak up.

"Well, for Takaocchi... because you called Midorimacchi 'Shin-chan'~!" grinned Ryouta. Takao burst into laughter as Midorima glared at the blonde. "You're joking," he snapped.

"No, really! Think about it. No one's ever tried that with you, Midorimacchi! You have to admit; Takaocchi's got guts," answered Kise confidently.

"Why, thank you, Kise," replied Takao amusedly. Midorima just grunted and stabbed his pancakes, while gripping his Matryoshka doll for inner peace.

"For Kurokocchi..." Kise continued, "... because you scared Kagamicchi~!"

"What?!" exclaimed said redhead.

"That was on purpose," quipped Kuroko, scratching Nigou's ear. Before Kagami could react again, Kise added, "And because his low presence is kinda cool! I've never met anyone like Kurokocchi~!"

"Thank you, Kise-kun."

"And Ryou-chan?" asked Kazunari eagerly—though, to be honest, he already had an inkling as to what it would be, seeing Kise's widening grin.

"And for Sakuraicchi... because you kissed Aominecchi~!"

Ryou almost tripped on his own feet when he heard that. He gripped the table and shakily put down Tetsuya's vanilla milkshake in front of the blue-haired teen as the other said his thanks. "K-Kise-san..." he stuttered, softly whining at the memory of last Thursday's cafeteria fumble. Even Aomine-san was looking all ready to strangle the blonde for bringing it up.

The others only snickered. When they settled down, Kuroko pushed his empty glass away and stood up, excusing himself.

"Wha—You finished it already?!" gawked Kagami, staring at the glass full of milkshake a while ago. Sakurai hadn't even continued eating yet!

"Get used to it. It's his drug. He only eats a little, but he can drink a lot of that," joked Takao, watching Tetsuya and Nigou move to the piano in the corner. The others followed suit as the petite blunette sat down in front of the instrument and stretched his arms and fingers.

Ryou and Kazunari smiled as Tetsuya started his warm-up scales on the piano—the rich tones filling the apartment's atmosphere. It seemed he was now feeling awake enough to play for them. They both chuckled as they noticed that the four athletes with them were staring at Kuroko in wonder.

"Yuu-chan mentioned yesterday that Imayoshi-senpai and Tetsu-chan were originally from the Music Club, remember?" As the four looked back at him in surprise, he explained further. He nodded at the blunette. "Tetsuya plays the piano. He always does this when we eat here at his apartment. It's both for practice and for exercise," he chuckled.

The others turned back to watching Kuroko on the piano. His dog was wagging his tail as he sat next to the stool. Taiga couldn't help but smile wryly. So the baby grand wasn't just for decoration, after all. The way the teen pressed the keys and effortlessly glided his fingers along them really said a lot about his skill with the instrument. Hell, he made it look so easy.

"Wow..." said Kise softly, "He's really good..."

"And that's not even a _song_ yet," gloated Kazunari excitedly. "He's practically a prodigy. Been playing since he was in—what, kindergarten?"

Ryou nodded at his question and smiled fondly at the blunette. "Yes. He was always expressive when it came to the piano." At the memory of kindergarten and Tetsuya-san, Ryou felt a small pang in his chest. The brunette suddenly remembered what that time meant for the two of them, but he held his smile back from drooping. No... He promised to himself. He promised _Tetsuya-san_. Remembering that still hurts, but he couldn't falter here now.

Not here where strangers could see him. Not when they were all marveling at Tetsuya-san's abilities. If she was here, she would already be scolding Ryou for looking sad when Tetsuya was playing the piano.

At the thought, the pain in his chest throbbed some more, and he could feel his throat tightening, but he gulped it all back. He thanked the heavens everyone was busy watching his best friend. He slowly took a deep breath and looked at Tetsuya again. It really still hurt, but he couldn't show his friend that it still did—not when he knew that he was probably still in pain, too.

Ryou clenched his jaw and smiled. He couldn't falter. This was for Tetsuya-san.

The blunette ended his scales and stretched his fingers again—this time, massaging his neck as well. "Ooh, this one's gonna be a song now," grinned Kazunari. "Prepare to be amazed."

As soon as the raven-haired teen said that, Tetsuya's fingers immediately flew to the keys. At first, it was just a few simple chords that were being repeated, then suddenly... The four athletes' eyes all simultaneously widened as he glided his fingers into a perfect quick glissando and the beat changed into something faster than what he had been playing a while ago. They watched in awe as Kuroko's arms, hands, and body moved to a beautiful rhythm.

Takao was right. It was amazing.

Kazunari and Ryou returned to eating, letting Tetsuya's playing float into the background. It was obvious that they were already used to this kind of scenario. Kuroko's visitors, on the other hand, couldn't ignore the blunette sitting on the piano. There was just something so mesmerizing about the music that they couldn't turn away. Kagami took a sip of his coffee and kept watching. For someone so quiet and unnoticeable most of the time, Kuroko sure seemed the opposite when playing the piano. It wasn't just his skill, anymore, or even the beautiful song he was playing right now. The pale blunette's entire aura—his smell, Kagami realized—was overflowing with peace and happiness. It seemed like... he was having fun.

Taiga always had this strange way of assessing people ever since he was a kid. His sense of smell was pretty sharp, so for as long as he could remember, he had subconsciously attributed scents to others and their auras. Like, with Daiki, he smelled of grass and dirt—and the redhead attributed it to him being really outdoorsy and fun-loving when they had first met because it was so strong. When he met Kise, he smelled a bouquet of flowers on him and immediately concluded that he was probably really charming or something, and with Midorima, he smelled of antiseptic and other cleaners—which made Taiga assume that he was very meticulous. Midorima and Akashi said that what he had was some form of synesthesia. True enough, his uncanny ability with scents had always managed to be spot-on. Even now, with Kuroko...

The basketball player hummed in thought. Kuroko... smelled of vanilla.

Of course, that was because he liked vanilla milkshakes, but funnily enough, the scent of vanilla really suited the blunette. When Kagami first met him, he didn't even smell anything on him—the idea weirding him out since that meant that Kuroko's aura was so weak, he was practically scentless. As they met again, though, he could find traces of vanilla essence on him. Now, as Kuroko was wholeheartedly playing a song for them, the scent was practically wafting along his nose. It wasn't irritating; quite the opposite, actually. It made the redhead relax in his chair as he listened to the pale blue-haired teen's music. It was just there, lingering around—as if it meant that Kuroko was visible.

Kagami blinked at the connection. Actually... maybe that _was_ why he could smell it so clearly. Because Kuroko wasn't doing his disappearing act right now, he could easily smell the scent of vanilla. It _could_ explain as to why he'd always get startled whenever the smaller teen popped out of nowhere. The redhead's unique eyebrows furrowed in thought. He wasn't really sure about that theory... but maybe he could test it. He was gonna tutor Kuroko in basketball, anyway, so the perfect opportunity was there.

His ears perked up as the beat slowed and the chords lessened. It sounded like the song's refrain. Taiga glanced around the table to find his friends still enchanted by the music. "You said he was a prodigy...?" he asked Takao quietly, going back to eating, but slower this time. He didn't want to ruin the atmosphere of the apartment right now.

"Yep," answered the raven-haired teen proudly. "Too bad you never heard of him before. He was the star of the Music Club, you know—as weird as that sounds for him."

"Seriously?" voiced the redhead in astonishment, raising a brow. Sure, Kuroko's playing was really amazing, but he figured that with the Music Club's allegedly high standards, they would have other prodigies like the blunette in their midst. Like, those who were easy to notice and stood out nicely, that is.

"Oh, yeah. He's a real _genius_ in music. Because he was such a big deal to his old club, they kinda hate us for taking him away, actually. Though technically, Tecchan left on his own," explained Takao. "Well, at least they couldn't do anything about the decision. It was the Student Council that finalized everything and supported us, so the Performing Arts clubs couldn't really make a fuss when the list of new members was approved and we were finally transferred."

Taiga wasn't the only one who perked up at the mention of the academy's almighty Student Council. "They were the ones who had petitioned for the Glee Club, I take it?" asked Midorima, turning to Takao.

Takao nodded with a smirk. "It was the perfect chance to shut up those pompous jerks fighting over the school events last year. No one could oppose the Student Council President's direct order, after all. Of course, they have all the more reason to hate our little club now, but like hell are we going down just like that. Someday, we won't be guest performers anymore," said the raven-haired teen with such conviction, it made Kagami suddenly look forward to that day. He hoped so. The Glee Club was actually pretty cool—even though he was temporarily working under them as punishment.

Kuroko finally finished his piece and garnered impressed applause from his small audience the moment the last note stopped. Nigou barked along in excitement and the blunette stretched again before starting another song.

 

* * *

 

"So what's next for you guys today?" asked Ryou as he closed the utensil drawer shut. After finishing breakfast, he and Kagami were the dishwashers while the other four cleaned the table. Kuroko just kept playing in the background.

"Well, it's about 8:35 now. Probably go home or hang out somewhere. Maybe jog around," answered Kagami, wiping his hands dry.

The brunette cocked his head in confusion. "Eh? But today's Club Day for our school. Don't you guys have practi—oh... right... you're suspended from your clubs..."

"Yeah..." trailed off Kagami awkwardly. Ryou knew that despite it not being reminded all the time, Kagami and his friends were painfully aware of the fact that they weren't allowed to play their sports inside the school. _It must be really hard for them, missing practices and all…_

"Even if we weren't, though, we're still not required to attend, anyway," interjected Midorima. "The clubs are setting up their booths today for next week's club promotions and recruitment, so there's no practice for our teams."

"Ah, right. I forgot about that," smiled Ryou sheepishly. Only a handful of students from every club were allowed to enter the campus today for that.

"What about you guys? Gonna set up for the Glee Club?" asked Kise.

"We're not supposed to, remember?" answered Kazunari. He smiled mirthlessly. "Well, more like we're not allowed."

Kise blinked in confusion. "Eh?"

"We're technically just a subgroup of the Performing Arts clubs," said the raven-haired teen as he stretched on the sofa. "Since we're pretty new, we can only get their old members. Did Hyuga-senpai never mention that?"

"Ah, now that I remember, he actually did…" voiced the blonde. Understanding the situation, he frowned. "Man, you guys have it tough."

"Yep. We're pretty much excluded from the club bazaar," shrugged Takao.

"That's really not fair, though," said Kagami, crossing his arms.

"True, but as if that's going to stop us from being an official club." Everyone's eyes widened as they saw that it was Sakurai who said the words. "Ha ha, that's the spirit~!" laughed Takao, draping an arm over the brunette's shoulders in approval.

"Well, I guess we better get going," said Kise, standing up. "Thanks for the breakfast, Sakuraicchi."

"No problem. Feel free to drop by anytime. I'll make something for you guys," beamed Ryou, smiling further as Aomine and Kagami seemed to perk up at his words.

"Yeah, but _don't_ drop by at six o'clock again, _hm?_ " smiled Kazunari at Kise threateningly—to which the blonde earnestly nodded his head at. The four athletes had moved to the entrance to collect their shoes and coats, when Takao remembered something. "Oh, wait! Kise, let's exchange numbers."

After doing so, they decided to do it with everyone else, as well—for convenience during Kise and Kasamatsu's future dates. Aomine excused himself to the bathroom as they discussed what would happen next week.

"Okay, come by early on Monday," instructed Takao. "We'll let you walk with Yuu-chan to school alone," he grinned.

"Eh?! H-He won't mind..?" asked Kise, unsure.

"I dunno. But he definitely won't be able to do anything about it," laughed the raven-haired teen. Ryou just sighed at what was to come on Monday. Would they even be able to give a good excuse as to why Yukio-san was left with Kise-san?

Finally getting their belongings, the three waited at the corridor outside Kuroko's apartment for Aomine.

"Hey, Ryou-chan, I just remembered something," said Kazunari softly, watching the three visitors from the open hallway as they chatted with Kuroko about the architecture of the complex.

"Hm?" asked Ryou nonchalantly as he held Nigou in his arms.

"Last Thursday, you kissed Aomine."

"K-Kazu—!"

"Why were you in the cafeteria in the first place?" Takao suddenly cut him off, glancing at him with a strange glint in his silvery-blue eyes.

Ryou stood rigid as he stared back. He smiled confusedly. "To get food, remem—"

"You brought a packed lunch that day," refuted Kazunari easily, still expressionlessly staring at the brunette.

"Ah, Kise-san!" called Ryou suddenly. He moved towards them, handing Nigou over to his owner. "We should get you all signed up at the lobby downstairs. Visitor rules, you see."

"Ohhh, okay then," replied Kise. "But we should wait for Aominecchi."

"I'm sure he'll be out soon. You three go on ahead," added Kuroko. "But first, Kise-kun..." As the pale-haired teen moved towards the blonde tennis player, Kise cocked his head in confusion. Then a hand jabbed his stomach.

Midorima and Kagami stared in shock as Kise reaching a trembling hand for the railing. "That's for pounding at my door this morning," explained Kuroko monotonously, sounding creepily vindicated as his dog barked on his other arm. "Y-Yukiocchi... taught you well..." choked out Ryouta, nursing his abdomen—with Sakurai panicking, offering an ice pack and chastising Kuroko. Apparently, the blunette still hadn't forgiven him for this morning's fiasco.

Watching the three leave the floor with Ryou in tow, Tetsuya joined Kazunari inside. He glanced at his silent friend leaning on the wall before pointing out the obvious. "He changed the subject," said Tetsuya simply. Kazunari nodded curtly, eyes staring off into space. "That means he's hiding something," confirmed the blunette, putting Nigou down.

"Now what, I wonder, would our dear Ryou-chan ever hide about being in the cafeteria that day?" asked Kazunari, pushing off the wall and walking further into the living room. Tetsuya knew that he was being rhetorical. There were only a severely limited number of reasons as to why their best friend would keep a secret. The blunette's eyes darkened as he finally understood what Kazunari was trying to say.

"You think…?"

"Yeah, I do," confirmed the raven-haired teen promptly, plopping down on the sofa. "And thinking about it happening again is making my blood boil."

Tetsuya joined him in sitting down, keeping quiet as the other raged silently next to him. "… He has his reasons for not saying anything," he defended of Ryou.

"Try telling that to Yukio," countered Kazunari. At that moment, a door squeaked and out came Aomine from the bathroom. It directly led out to the living room, so the two teens immediately saw the soccer player.

"Where's everyone else?" he asked.

"Downstairs. Hurry, they might leave you," joked Takao. As the dark-skinned teen left the apartment, Kuroko turned to Takao with a glint in his eyes. "The bathroom isn't soundproof."

Kazunari grinned devilishly. "I know."

"You're scheming again. What are you up to?"

Kazunari stared out the balcony on the far side of the room, still smiling. "Why don't you take a guess?"

Tetsuya sighed as he lifted Nigou up on his lap. "Aomine-kun?" he reiterated. His friend's smile grew even brighter. "Why not?"

 

* * *

 

Daiki found the rest of the others at the entrance of the apartment complex, chatting with an old man. Along with them was Sakurai Ryou, the current thing plaguing Daiki's thoughts right now. It wasn't as if he thought about the other obsessively, though. He just couldn't shake off what he'd heard from the bathroom a while ago. It had been hard trying to look like he hadn't eavesdropped on Kuroko and Takao's conversation. But how could he ignore it? The navy blue-haired teen just heard an interesting thing about Sakurai.

Well, okay, it hadn't exactly been an entire _thing_ —more like just a hint and implication about something—but it made Daiki curious. Very curious. Sakurai was hiding his reasons for being in the cafeteria that time. Why? Maybe it was something embarrassing? But why did Takao sound so angry about it? Daiki halted as he realized what he was thinking about.

Why was he pondering about this? It wasn't any of his business, and he could care less about what Sakurai does. The more he thought about it, the more he remembered what happened last Thursday—and frankly, he'd really rather not go there again. He shook his head and continued walking.

Upon nearing his friends, the brunette Glee Club member met him halfway and beckoned him to the counter at the side. "Please sign here, Aomine-san. When you visit again, you just have to leave an I.D. to Haru-san," gestured Sakurai to the old man with Kise and the other two outside the gates. As Daiki followed the instructions, he noticed that Sakurai was back to normal. Normal in the sense that he's not apologizing and shit, that is. _'Guess it's because there's nothing awkward between us anymore. Much._

When he finished, he looked up and saw the brunette staring at him. Sakurai flinched in shock and immediately bowed. "I-I'm sorry!"

_Well, so much for that._

"The hell are you apologizing for?" Daiki asked, looking mightily confused. He hadn't done anything wrong, right? Honestly, this guy was so weird. No wonder he and Kuroko were best friends.

"N-Nothing… I just noticed that your bandage…" At the mention of it, Aomine's hand flew to his cheek to check if it was falling off. "Ah, no. This one." Sakurai reached out and lightly peeled the little adhesive off, then re-applied it. "You should replace this one. It's a bit wet."

Daiki couldn't say anything back. Sakurai had touched the side of his neck. He touched it and wasn't even afraid that Daiki would snap at him. Seriously, what is _wrong_ with this guy? One minute he's being sorry for something and looking frightened, then the next he's being normal and brave, even advising him about the bandage. Maybe it was just Daiki, though. He still couldn't say anything even after realizing all of that. He was practically frozen on the spot.

"… Aomine-san?" Hearing his name, the soccer player quickly snapped to attention. Sakurai now looked hesitant, his brown eyes darting from him to the men outside. "Um, sorry… I just suddenly—"

"It's fine," interrupted Daiki, wincing inwardly for sounding choked. "Thanks."

Sakurai nodded meekly at him, offering a small smile. Daiki's dark blue eyes quickly turned to the gates, blinking away the appealing image, and he moved to join his friends.

"Ah, Aominecchi~!" welcomed Kise. "This is Haru-san. He's the landlord here, along with his wife, Mio-san. She's the old lady we met this morning."

"Nice to meet you, young man," bowed the old man named Haru. "I hope you'll visit your friends here again at Hiyokoroshi-kan."

"Hiyokoroshi?" queried Aomine, looking up from his bow.

"It's the building's name," answered Midorima, pushing up his glasses.

"Good morning, Haru-san~!" Everyone looked up to find Takao and Kuroko at a balcony just above the gates.

"Wait, that's Kuroko's apartment right there?!" exclaimed Kagami incredulously. He wasn't the only one surprised.

"See you on Monday, okay?" said Takao to Kise, grinning excitedly. Kise nodded enthusiastically. Two days from now… He would get to see Yukiocchi again!

"Ryou-kun, come back. You might go home with them," piped up Kuroko emotionlessly, his eyes sparkling in mirth again. The brunette in question just smiled forcedly, a small twitch in his eyebrow. _Tetsuya-san, you…_

At last, the four unexpected visitors of Takao, Kuroko, and Sakurai finally waved goodbye and walked towards the main street. "I wonder how long Yukio-kun will fall in love with Kise-kun…" said Tetsuya, watching the athletes go.

"Well, I guess it'll depend on how much Kise will be able to knock him off his… feet…"

Tetsuya turned to Kazunari when the other strangely fell silent. "Kazunari-kun?"

"…"

"Are you worried that he'll have to knock him off literally?"

"Oh, god, I just—Wait!" Takao shouted down the street, hoping that the four hadn't gotten so far yet. "KISE, WAIT!" Hearing the yell, the aforementioned blonde whirled in surprise, watching his new friend disappear from the balcony on the second floor. Ryou had to take a step back when his raven-haired best friend ran past him and down the stairs. What was going on?

Takao finally slowed down as he caught up with the athletes outside. "Takaocchi?" asked Kise worriedly.

"I.. want you to…" panted Kazunari, hands on his knees. "… try something on my…" He looked up and grinned mischievously. "… idiot of a best friend."

 

* * *

 

Somewhere inside Kaijo Mixed Martial Arts School, a loud sneeze echoed around the thick walls.

"Ah! Senpai sneezed again!" exclaimed Hayakawa.

"Seriously, that's like the hundredth time today, Kasamatsu. Are you sure you're not coming down with a cold?" asked Moriyama, stopping from his stretching to watch his fellow fighter.

"Hell if I know," grumbled Yukio, rubbing his nose in annoyance.

 

* * *

 

Kasamatsu now knew that he _didn't_ get a cold. But he was starting to wonder if he should get his eyes checked or something, because standing just outside the gates of Hiyokoroshi-kan was none other than Kise Ryouta himself. Maybe all that sneezing had given him hallucinations? But no, that would be ridiculous. And it wouldn't explain why Kise was beaming at him like that. The weird flowery background was making an appearance again.

_Goddammit… It's Monday morning, for Christ's sake. Do I really have to deal with this?_

The answer came in the form of a text message that he received just a few minutes ago from his dastardly best friend named Takao Kazunari. Apparently, he, Tetsuya, and Ryou—who had also left him some messages—all had to leave early for school—for some weird reason. It wasn't as if they always went to school together. There were times when one or two would be missing. But all _three_? Yukio narrowed his steel-blue eyes at the text on his phone. Very suspicious… considering that even the conniving Kazunari himself was gone.

The black-haired teen sighed. _Oh well. Can't do anything about it now._

"What are you doing here, Kise?" he asked bluntly, getting straight to the point. The blonde started at his address, but looked like he expected the question. "Aha ha… Well, I had to take a detour to school and I passed by. I saw Kurokocchi leaving the building and he asked me to wait for you so you wouldn't walk alone today. Are Takaocchi and Sakuraicchi not with you?"

Yukio blinked at the explanation. It seemed a bit strange… but then again, Kise always did seem a bit strange to him. Well, technically, he's more of just Yukio's opposite personality-wise rather than strange. The blonde tennis player kept glancing around and looking at him so much that Yukio wondered if he was actually lying and the teen was finally stalking him. But even the notion sounded too strange for School Heartthrob Kise Ryouta and so, Yukio just had to resign to getting it over with. Maybe spending some time with the other wouldn't be so bad. They did it once and it didn't feel too awkward, as far as he could remember—considering that they had been strangers to each other that time.

"No… They had to leave early for something. So… you're gonna walk with me?"

"I-If… you don't mind?" replied Kise timidly. It was weird seeing the guy act like that.

"Yeah… I guess. Let's go." At his invitation, Kise's amber-colored eyes sparkled to life and the blonde quickly skipped to fall into step with him. Yukio had to mentally slap himself to not stare too much.

"Did Tetsuya say where he was going?" he asked instead, looking ahead.

"Ah, the pet shop, I think," answered Kise. He glanced at the houses they were passing by. For some reason, he didn't seem interested enough to continue the conversation. Or maybe it was because he couldn't think of anything else to say?

"You didn't have to listen to him, though. I would've been fine on my own."

"Maybe… But I wanted to…" replied Kise, trailing off. He looked down at the asphalt-covered ground. "Yu... Yukio-san."

Yukio almost tripped on his own two feet.

Somewhere in the distance, a whoop of joy echoed, but was missed by Yukio trying to find his bearings and silence the strange rhythm of his heart.

Takao Kazunari, leaning against a lamp post, was trying to muffle his laughter as the five other boys with him kept watching Kasamatsu and Kise. "Yes, it worked!" he choked as he controlled himself, joining the others in looking back at the two.

"I don't see how Kise using a normal moniker instead of the nickname he gave to Kasamatsu is going to help the situation," said Midorima, looking confused and annoyed that he had to come along on this nonsense.

"Oh, Shin-chan…" lamented Takao mockingly, shaking his head for effect. "Let me explain, then. Kise's been calling him 'Yukiocchi', right? So back there, Yuu-chan had been expecting to be called that way. But theeeeen," grinned Kazunari devilishly, watching his best friend look surprised. "Kise called him normally, like how Ryou-chan would. Kise had thrown him for a loop! And if my prediction is right, then that means Yuu-chan will find the name change weird. He'll probably ask Kise to call him that nickname again or use something else, just so that he won't feel bothered. But now what happened is going to stick with him, and he won't be able to forget it."

The raven-haired teen smirked. "He'll keep thinking about Kise _because_ of it."

Silence enveloped their group once Takao finished explaining. Aomine blinked in incredulity. "That… actually makes sense."

Sakurai sighed exasperatedly at Takao. "Leave it to Kazunari-san to know these things."

Back to the two lovebirds in question, Kise Ryouta was trying not to blush. Yukiocchi was right there with him—and they were all alone. Well, alone next to each other, that is. He knew that his best friends and new friends were tailing them. But honestly, being there right now felt like a dream. His heart wouldn't stop hammering against his ribcage. Walking with Kasamatsu like this made him remember that summer night when they first met so vividly, that he couldn't help smiling giddily. And now, he had fulfilled Takaocchi's request. Gosh, he didn't think it would be this hard and embarrassing to call the Taekwondo kickboxer his name.

Kasamatsu Yukio, on the other hand, was trying to breathe normally. Because, nope, he did not just stumble hearing that name from Kise, of all people. And nope, his heart did not just skip a beat or some shit. He was just disturbed, is all. Disturbed that Kise wasn't calling him that cutesy nickname. Disturbed that he reacted so strongly to it. Disturbed that he was finding it all _disturbing_.

"Y-Yukio-san…?" The black-haired teen whirled at Kise in surprise and embarrassment.

"W-What? Why are you calling me that?" he returned.

"E-Eh? Is it too weird?" said the blonde, sounding unsure. "Weird" was one way to say it. Yukio would rather say that it's very off-putting. He cursed his heartbeat spiking up again.

"Not exactly…" he trailed off, looking at anywhere besides the guy with him.

"Well, how about Ka… 'Kasamatsu-san' instead?" offered Kise, looking at him shyly. Yukio pondered over it, ignoring the odd feeling inside him. It wasn't too weird… Hell, it was his surname that almost everyone else uses for him.

"Well… okay… Why are you calling me differently now, though?" asked Yukio, genuinely confused and thrown aback by everything that transpired in the last few minutes.

"Ah, well…" How should Ryouta say it? "I thought that maybe you didn't like the nickname… And well, it is kinda rude to call you that right off the bat when you think about it." Yukio only nodded in agreement. He seriously didn't know what to say to that.

They continued walking in silence. The academy wasn't too far from their neighborhood, so Yukio always found himself enjoying a leisurely stroll whenever he wasn't hurrying. But right now, he didn't know if he could enjoy the sights and the silence when the atmosphere between him and Kise felt awkward. He sighed and took a deep breath. Since they were alone, he might as well address the thing that had been plaguing him since he and Kise were officially introduced.

"... Sorry I forgot about you."

Ryouta looked up in surprise. "E-Eh?"

"Last week. I didn't realize who you were. That we met before. I remember doing something like that, but I completely forgot that it was _you_ I helped," explained Kasamatsu, now staring at him with clear, steel-blue eyes. Ryouta gulped slowly at the sight before he could reply.

"Oh... I-It's okay," he replied, starting to feel another blush coming on.

"But still... a year went by," insisted the black-haired teen, looking disgruntled.

"Yeah, but we only met once," assured Ryouta, smiling at him.

"Yeah..." trailed off Yukio. "In fact, how did you even remember me for so long?"

"W-Well, technically, I kinda forgot about you, too... but when I got a good look at you last week, I finally remembered!" he said truthfully.

Yukio chuckled. Ryouta felt his cheeks heating up at the sound. Was this the first time he had heard such a nice sound?

"So… I guess you'll want to know about my side of the story?" offered Yukio, scratching his neck. The blonde blinked, before smiling and nodding. It was a good start.

Behind them, their friends all clamored behind the last building they had passed. Takao smirked at Midorima. "Told ya it would work."

 

* * *

 

Ryouta could safely say that he was making considerable progress. From their walk this morning to the lunch break at the rooftop thanks to Sakuraicchi, he and Kasamatsu had now come to a comfortable companionship. He could say that it was better than what he expected. The black-haired teen was smiling and laughing openly at him now—albeit polite and a bit reserved; not like how Kasamatsu was with Takao.

 _Of course it would be. He and Takaocchi are best friends. You two are just starting out_ , he berated mentally to himself. And he made sure to berate his thoughts about Takao and Kasamatsu in _that_ way, too. Sure, the silvery-eyed teen liked men and he was pretty close with Ryouta's crush, but it didn't mean that Ryouta had to worry about anything. Takao himself said so and the blonde was going to take his word for it. Besides, the guy was helping him win Yukiocchi over. Why would he do that if there was something between them?

 _Kasamatsu-san! It's Kasamatsu-san now!_ It was a bit weird calling the blue-eyed boy that, but he had to admit that Takaocchi's ploy worked. Kasamatsu _had_ been surprised about it. He didn't think the other would care about him not being called "Yukiocchi" anymore. But now, there's an even bigger problem that Ryouta was currently facing. Every time he would try to say the name, he couldn't avoid stuttering it. Gosh, he'd never had this problem before. It was embarrassing to say to Kasamatsu. He's learned how to be charming to people because of his part-time model career, but for some reason, saying his crush's surname made him blush and all giddy.

"Kise-kun? Kise-kun!" called Tsuchida, trying to get the giggling blonde's attention. It obviously failed as the air around said blonde suddenly started to faintly glow with flowers.

"What the hell is wrong with him now?" asked Hyuga, blinking at the teen's sudden descent into being Kiyoshi-like.

Kagami scratched the back of his head as his friend kept spacing out. "Ah, he's just being… himself."

"Kise-kun, hey," tried Tsuchida again, patting Kise's shoulder this time. Finally, the teen snapped out of his reverie and looked at his upperclassman in embarrassment. "Ah! S-Sorry, Senpai! Was there something you needed?"

"Can you help put away all the instruments? We need to clean up the dance floor 'cause they'll be practicing soon."

"Oh! Okay then!"

It was dismissal time now; the time for club activities when it was Monday to Friday. As expected of Kise and his friends in accordance with their punishment, they were now to report to the Glee Club room and take part in the members' duties everyday—for a month. And even after April, they were still supposed to help out as the production team. Ryouta didn't know if they can manage it with their busy schedules as varsity players, though. They're lucky right now because they weren't required to attend their own clubs, but once their suspensions are lifted, their comeback training would definitely eat up all their spare time. Kagami and Aomine would most definitely use the court and the field for as long as they could. Kise himself would surely practice until closing time comes. And Midorima may not look like it, but the archer would rigorously make up for the time lost.

Despite all this, though, Kise was still looking forward to his job here at the Glee Club. Hyuga-senpai had already posted the schedule of activities at the bulletin board near the door, and the performers had a _lot_ of concerts and shows to do this year. As the bespectacled club president said to them a while ago, this was the time for them to truly assert their existence and worth as a Performing Arts club. Ryouta knew that the road ahead would be very exhausting, but also knew it would be worth the trouble. Seeing Kasamatsu perform out there… it was enough to energize the blonde.

"Kise-kun seems to be in high spirits, ne?" mused Koganei to Fukuda and Kawahara as they all cleared the floor of the wayward instruments.

"I hope he won't be _high_ -ding what it is from us," replied Izuki.

"Somebody please kick Izuki's ass for me," quickly retorted Hyuga without looking up from the papers he was reading.

"Alright! Time to be fabulous~!"

The current occupants of the clubroom all turned to Takao, Kuroko, Sakurai, Kasamatsu, and Imayoshi as they entered the premises—already dressed for dance practice. Midorima and Furihata followed after them, with the green-haired teen carrying a stack of papers and the brunette carrying a cardboard box.

"Here are the photocopies of the other song sheets," said Midorima, putting the stack down on a nearby table. "The Student Council also gave us a few costume pieces and props to reuse," he continued, gesturing to the box as Furihata left it near the table.

"They're not even gonna let you guys use new stuff?" asked Kagami, checking out the contents of said box.

"We get new stuff if it's not available from all the used items. They just wanna recycle those that are still in good condition to save money," reasoned Hyuga, checking the stack of photocopies. "The only demeaning thing about it, though, is that all these came from the Big Three."

The "Big Three", as the athletes came to learn a while ago, was the Music Club, the Drama Club, and the Dance Troupe. The Glee Club doesn't openly resent them, as they had concluded with Kasamatsu last Friday, but the members _do_ find them a bit troublesome concerning their club's exposure to the spotlight.

"Nothing you can do about it. As much as the Student Council is trying to support you, the only way to get equal treatment is to earn your own funds and show 'em what you're made of."

Aomine and his friends' jaws gaped in surprise as Koga-sensei entered the room. The teacher who had given them their punishment and who was seriously un-fucking-touchable within the academy's faculty… was right here, visiting. Their backs quickly straightened in apprehension.

"Ko… Koga-sensei!"

"Ah, Koganei-sensei," greeted Hyuga and Imayoshi respectfully.

Kagami and Aomine both furrowed their eyebrows. "... K-'Koganei'...?"

"Where's Shinji?" asked the strict-looking teacher.

"'Shinji'...?"

"Oh, Uncle! What is it?" responded the teen in question—who happened to be their Koganei-senpai.

"'UNCLE'?!"

"What, you didn't know that 'Koga-sensei' is short for 'Koganei-sensei'?" asked Takao in hushed tones, but the incredulity in his voice seeped through.

"I think we just forgot…" said Kise honestly, still staring wide-eyed at their mathematics teacher as he casually interacted with their drummer upperclassman. It was just too surreal. The man they all knew as one of the most intimidating teachers in their school was actually related to the friendly Koganei-senpai. Hell, they didn't even look alike.

"Senpai's dad is Sensei's older brother," explained Takao, sensing their distress at the revelation. "I think he got the nickname even before Senpai came to study here, so I guess it's kind of handy. But Kiyoshi-senpai calls him 'Koga' sometimes."

After finishing his talk with his nephew, the dark brown-haired man turned to address Kise and the other three. "I see you've been adjusting well. Behaving, I hope?" he asked Hyuga with a questioning side-glance that promised a lot of pain if he didn't hear what he wanted to hear.

"As well as they should be," answered the club president, looking a bit proud. Koga smirked triumphantly, humming in approval. He turned to the four again, relishing their nervous faces. "Good to hear that. I don't want you idiots causing any trouble for my students."

"'Your'…?" Why "your"? Weren't they Koga-sensei's students, as well? Then Midorima's eyes widened. "You're the Glee Club's advisor, sir?"

Aomine and Kagami—and now Kise, too—exclaimed their surprise once again.

"Of course I am. Why did you think I assigned you here, of all clubs?" retorted Koga, looking annoyed.

"Ah, because you needed the staff?" said Kagami in realization.

"Exactly. Besides, it was the perfect opportunity to make you suffer. You boneheads needed to meet real nerds."

The way he said it made the four chuckle nervously, but inwardly question his logic. The members of the Glee Club, though, just coughed awkwardly. Typical how their advisor would inflict sadistic hell upon his "disliked" students by leaving them with his "favorite" students. None argued, though; not even his own nephew.

"Alright, I need to be somewhere. I'll check in every day, though—and Hyuga, don't forget your weekly reports. _Behave_ , boys," said Koga firmly, before leaving the clubroom. Aomine and his friends were left staring at the door, wondering if what they saw had been real.

"Alright, everyone move out of the dance floor. We're starting practice," shouted Hyuga authoritatively, snapping them out of their stupor. The members of Misdirection gathered in the middle of the room, while everyone else sat at the stairs leading to the doors, facing them as their mock audience.

"Think we can finish all of these within two months?" Kasamatsu asked to his best friend, flipping the music sheets in his hands and reviewing the way Korean sounded.

"Well, we only need to do six, so yeah, I guess we can—"

"Eight."

The room became silent with Imayoshi's comment. Takao and Kasamatsu slowly looked at their vice-president in horror. "What?"

"We have to do eight songs," repeated the wavy-haired senior more elaborately, pushing back his glasses.

"You said 'six'," accused Kazunari, staring hard at Hyuga. The bespectacled teen could only sigh. "Yes, well, now it's going to be eight."

Silence greeted them again. "Was it Aida-senpai's idea?" asked Kuroko, looking emotionless as ever—but one could hear the apprehension in his voice.

"No."

"Momoi-san?" offered Sakurai worriedly.

"The fans requested the songs," answered Imayoshi. "And our… _promoters_ … thought it best to cater to our fans."

"… So it _was_ their idea."

Junpei sighed. "Yeah, pretty much." The confirmation elicited pained groans of varying degrees from the four other Misdirection boys—which their seniors already expected.

"Is it really that bad?" whispered Kagami to his Tsuchida-senpai. "They've got until June, right?"

"Yes, but they'll be singing Korean songs. They won't have to learn the language, but it's still hard to pronounce. Our language is a bit clipped and rougher than theirs," explained Tsuchida, pitying his fellow members. "I guess it kinda helps that they've practiced before, during spring break, but that hadn't been enough for them to finish two songs with choreography. They'll have to make every practice count now."

"Man… I didn't think that singing and dancing would be that hard," commented Kise softly.

"It wouldn't be if they're not taking it seriously," joined in Koganei. "But they are. They genuinely want the audience to enjoy the show they'll be putting on."

"Thank goodness they have Kasamatsu and Takao, though, huh?" chimed in Izuki; Mitobe silently nodding in agreement. "There won't be much of a problem in the choreography."

"Ah, but don't forget Kuroko-kun," said Tsuchida. "He's the one who works the magic."

At that, Kagami frowned in confusion. Magic? What magic? As far as he knew, Kuroko was either a back-up singer or just a second voice. It didn't look like the pale-haired teen had the leading role.

"Right. Form a circle," instructed Hyuga. "Kuroko, if you would do us the honor?" Kagami blinked at the words. Wait, seriously?

"Ahhh, I'm getting nervous. I feel like I'll mess up the lyrics," confessed Sakurai, looking antsy as he fiddled with his song sheet.

"Just don't mind it and continue singing, Ryou-kun," placated Kuroko, wheeling in an electric keyboard in front of them.

"I'll admit I am, too, but I'm really more excited, though," said Takao. "Our songs are so fun~!"

"And painstakingly hard," grumbled Kasamatsu.

"Ready?" asked Kuroko. "Vocalizing first." The blunette pressed a low key on the piano. The five boys perfectly hit the note. Then another key; another perfect note. This went on for a few minutes, until they've gone back to the first key thrice.

"Alright, first on the list is 'Dream Girl'. Let's try the song now?" asked Hyuga, turning to Kuroko for advice. The blunette nodded and pushed the keyboard to the side. "Kawahara-kun," he called, signaling the teen on the audio panel to start the music.

Hip-hop beats started playing through the built-in speakers of the studio and the performers bopped their heads to get a feel of the rhythm. Kuroko held his hands in the air, both pointer fingers out. Immediately, the lyrics came and he swayed them down, beginning his conducting.

" _Eodiseobuteo sijakdwaenneunji geuge jungyohan ge anya,"_ started Takao enthusiastically, reading his sheet. " _Jigeum nae nunen neomu wanbyeokhan ne moseumman boineun geol"_

" _Hoesaek bit i sesange ne ipsulman burkge bitna,"_ he continued with little effort. _"Ibeul matchuryeodeon geu sungan"_

" _Tto kkumeseo kkaene-e,"_ sang everyone in unison.

" _Ajikdo ne eolguri ireoke saengsaenghande,"_ followed Kasamatsu, not letting Takao's voice outshine his. _"Jabatdeon sonui ongiga ireoke ttaseuhande"_ It was interesting to hear Japanese people talk in another language. The boys were only singing it, but it still looked fascinating. Kise wondered how they could pronounce the L sound so right.

" _Bamimyeon naege dagawa achimi doemyeon sarajyeo,"_ sang Takao this time. _"Maeil ireoke ttokgachi neoreul bonael sun eomneunde"_

" _Baby~,"_ crooned everyone harmoniously.

" _modu kkumin geol aljiman,"_ replied Takao, grinning.

" _Baby~"_

" _o jebal nal tteonaji mara,"_ answered Kasamatsu, smirking as they got to the chorus.

" _Dream girl~"_

" _sone japhil deut japhiji annneun"_

Holy crap, this song was really upbeat. Takao was right; it _was_ fun. Kise wasn't the only bopping his head along with the swaying movements of Misdirection.

" _Dream girl~"_

" _maeil bam ireoke neol gidaryeo"_

" _Dream girl~ "_

" _dalkomhi sarangeul soksagigo"_

" _Achimi doemyeon sarajil dream girl~!"_

Now they did something surprising. Kasamatsu and Takao both threw their sheet music away… and started strutting towards the center of the circle. The raven-haired teen beckoned his best friend to come nearer, and suddenly, they had a mini dance-off that surprised their newer audience—it ending with the same choreography and them both going back to the circle.

And now everyone else threw their papers away.

When the chorus rolled, each member took a turn in dancing at the center for a while—Kasamatsu and Takao still leading the song, while the others filled the second voices. Seriously, how could they still sing and now dance so easily without getting tired? Even the conducting Kuroko now joined the battle.

Then suddenly, they started slowly turning to Ryouta and the others. Kasamatsu preceded them, leading the bridge of the song while the rest continued dancing in unity.

" _Neo eomneun haruga duryeowo,"_ sang the blue-eyed Kasamatsu.

" _naeirimyeon tto itgetjiman,"_ sang his teammates in the background, doing poses for each syllable.

" _Aetage butjababwado,"_ and here, Kise swore their eyes met for a second. _"amureon yaksok eobsi neon nae gyeoteul tteonaaaaaaaaa!"_

Ryouta's eyes widened. Yukiocchi… had just belted a note. Perfectly. _I think my hair just stood up…_

" _Geudae nunbit geudae ipsul boneun neukkim you_ _'_ _re so beautiful,"_ rapped Hyuga, taking the center stage and earning a few surprised looks. _"Han sungando nege nuneul ttel su eobseo"_

They slowly formed a pyramid arrangement as Hyuga continued his part. Kasamatsu disappeared somewhere at the back.

" _Geu eotteon pyohyeondo neohanteneun ppael su eobseo_  
_Meoributeo balkkeutkkaji geudaen one and only girl_  
_Hanabuteo baekkkaji budeureopge daehaji_  
_Geudaega nal taekhaneun nare i sesangeun stop!_  
_You_ _'_ _re my world"_

Suddenly, the apple of Ryouta's eye flipped forward and expertly landed on his feet _just_ as the chorus started.

And they were really _dancing_ now. There were a few times when Kise thought Kasamatsu was looking at him. Most of the time, he found Takao winking at him… and Midorima—to the archer's chagrin. But Kasamatsu… there was just something about his demeanor while performing…

Ryouta's amber orbs blinked as it locked gazes with steel-blue ones. Then Kasamatsu smiled at him.

" _Bami gipeumyeon chajaol dream girl~!"_

Silence filled the dance studio once the song finished, but Kise didn't let it last as he immediately got to his feet and gave a hearty round of applause. It didn't even register in his mind that he was doing it—he just couldn't contain his amazement at their performance anymore. Surprisingly, though, he hadn't been the only one to express that sentiment. His friends—Kagami Taiga, Aomine Daiki, and Midorima Shintarou themselves—were also applauding Misdirection.

"I told you they'll leave an impression on you." The occupants of the room looked up to find Aida Riko and Momoi Satsuki entering.

"Coach? But isn't the team practicing right now?" pointed Kagami out.

"Relax, they'll be fine without me for a while. Or _**else**_ ," threatened Riko sweetly, sending chills down most of the guys' spines. They weren't going to be at the end of her wrath, but they still had to bless those poor souls who would.

"Looks like you're doing just fine, too," said Momoi to the six boys on the dance floor.

"Yeah, because doing K-Pop is _such_ a piece of cake," replied Takao sarcastically, glaring at the two girls. Said girls didn't even apologize for what Misdirection was supposed to go through. Riko just nodded approvingly of their practice, while Momoi gave them an excited thumbs-up.

"Even if it wasn't a different language, though, we'd still have to work hard at it," said their Imayoshi-senpai, cleaning his glasses. "Remember that from now on, we can't settle for just second-best. We need to give it all we've got—otherwise, we have no right to be the Glee Club."

Everyone, including the temporary production staff and the Music Club representatives, looked in awe at the vice-president's words. Hyuga chuckled lightly and shook his head. Leave it to his second-in-command to be the fountain of wisdom in these trying times. Even though most of the time, he's the one scaring them into working.

"Right. You heard the guy. No slacking off," reiterated the club president. "So Kuroko, how did we do?"

Said pale blue-haired teen picked up the paper he discarded on the floor and dusted it. "Horribly, Senpai," he replied monotonously.

"Eh?!" exclaimed his friends.

"Kazunari-kun, you were slightly off-key when you started and you mispronounced several words. Yukio-kun, your tempo was different a few times. Imayoshi-senpai, you missed some notes in the back vocals. Hyuga-senpai, your rap wasn't as loud as it should be. And Ryou-kun, you were running out of breath."

"You forgot a few dance moves yourself," muttered Kasamatsu, looking furtively away. Takao grinned as he did the same. Kuroko just lightly slapped the black-haired teen's arm, silently telling him to not interrupt.

Their audience watched with mild amusement as the phantom member of the team then began chastising his teammates about the correct way of singing the song. Kagami blinked in amazement as said teammates didn't even argue or complain—they listened to him seriously. When they started their practice, Kuroko had acted as the conductor, leading them into the rhythm and signalling when it was their part. Was that what Tsuchida-senpai was talking about? Kuroko working the "magic"?

"Has Kuroko always been doing this?" he asked of his upperclassmen. Izuki nodded, gesturing to the group as they all studied their music sheets. "Since Kuroko and Imayoshi were from the Music Club, they're in charge of teaching everyone about it."

"Why not Imayoshi-senpai, though?"

Furihata, the spiky-hair brunette from what Kagami calls the "Representative Trio" in his mind, sat down next to him on the stairs. "Well, Senpai _was_ a singer back at the Music Club, too, but Kuroko's better as a conductor," he explained, smiling as he and the redheaded basketball player watched Misdirection. "Back then, Kuroko would be assigned that job when he wasn't going to play the piano. He understands how music works, so they always let him lead us in playing."

 _Oh, right, Kuroko's a prodigy_ , remembered Taiga. Now the whole thing makes sense.

"So you guys play instruments in the Music Club, too?" asked Kise, turning to Furihata.

"Yeah. You can only become a member if you're a musician or a singer."

" _And_ if you've won in any music competition," added Fukuda, the tallest of the trio with short black hair. "The three of us had to band together just to be able to get 3rd place in a local contest when we were in middle school."

"It doesn't look like you play all the time, though," commented Kise, confused.

"Yeah…" trailed off Furihata dolefully. "There are a lot more skilled musicians in the club, so we're usually just back-up or running errands for them." Kagami elbowed Kise, giving him a reprimanding look for the insensitive comment he gave. It was already obvious that the three weren't needed much in their club. But before Kise could say sorry, the brunette grinned at them excitedly.

"But we're glad the Glee Club needs us," he said. "Even just as staff members, it's kind of exciting to know that we'll be involved so much."

Ryouta inwardly sighed in relief, seeing that the teens didn't look insulted at what he said. "Why do you play, by the way? Is it your dream to be musicians someday?"

"Ah, well…" Furihata lightly blushed. "A girl I had a crush on back then used to play the violin. I thought, maybe if I learned, it would get me closer to her."

"My mom is a cellist, and I inherited her love of it," answered Fukuda, looking blissful as he stared into space.

"Someone I idolized back in elementary inspired me to learn—"

And here, everyone else chuckled quietly as Kawahara, the last of the three with semi-shaven hair, dramatically droned on his tale of how learning the flute had been his salvation. On the other side of the audience, Midorima and Aomine sat silently, watching the Glee Club.

"Aaaah, I miss the field," muttered Aomine, yawning and stretching back as he lounged in his seat.

"If you behave, you won't have to wait for more than a month," quipped Midorima, fixing the bandages on his fingers. Daiki rolled his eyes at the typical response. He and Midorima had never gotten past this kind of relationship, and they sure as hell won't start now. But it was nice to have a rational mind among their group of friends. Lord knows they'll get into all kinds of trouble without it.

But again, like hell would Aomine admit that.

"Meh. I guess this isn't so bad." When the green-haired teen glanced at him questioningly, he jerked his chin towards the circle of boys in the middle of the room. "At least we've got some form of entertainment." The archer only scoffed and shook his head.

Daiki's dark blue eyes travelled towards the aforementioned group. Sakurai was next to Kuroko, trying to get the pronunciation of a Korean word right. He clicked his tongue as he realized that he was thinking about the brunette again. Damn Takao and Kuroko. He seriously couldn't get that conversation out of his head. He was getting more and more curious about it, actually. But he won't snoop around. He and Sakurai have nothing else in common but the fact that they're right here, in the Glee Club's headquarters. And that's just that. If he tries to know more, that accidental-kiss thing last week would definitely come back to haunt him again.

"Alright, everyone, from the top!" said Kuroko, clapping his hands to get their attention. The boys of Misdirection took their places as the music starts playing again, and their audience braced themselves for another round of wonder.

 

* * *

 

Ryouta fiddled with his earring as he walked with Kasamatsu. They were left together again—courtesy of Takaocchi, whom he was now seriously adoring as a friend, as the other helped in distracting Ryouta's fans for him—and the other teen hadn't said anything much about them walking home this time. The blonde was a bit nervous about the atmosphere around them. They had been passing by buildings, stores, and people, yet Kasamatsu had still kept silent—leaving Ryouta to wonder if he was actually angry at him for something or if he's finally caught on what Ryouta's intentions were.

The blonde gulped a bit in apprehension.

It was about 5:30 p.m. now. The Glee Club had only reviewed the songs they were to perform the whole time, so they hadn't gone home so late yet. Maybe tomorrow, they would. Ryouta watched as the orange streaks of the sunset painted everything it touched into ethereal pictures. He was pretty sure this kind of scene was usually in shoujo mangas, and it didn't help that they were alone right now. _Well, okay, it's kind of helping, but this is a bit awkward_ , thought Ryouta, blushing at what he was imagining.

Suddenly, the teen in front of him stopped walking. "I know what you're trying to do," he said, not turning to Kise. The tennis player's heart sped up—in trepidation or excitement, he didn't know.

"K-Kasamatsu-san…?"

The teen in question finally turned to him. "Why do you really want to call me that?"

Ryouta looked down at the ground, gripping his bag. He should be honest with the guy. "I want to earn your respect, since you earned mine."

"But I do respect you, Kise." Ryouta's heart leapt at the words. He looked at the black-haired teen in surprise. "Ever since I saw your match that day and spent that night with you, I've respected you. But something tells me that you want _more_ than my respect…" said Kasamatsu seriously—his steel-blue eyes entrancing Ryouta's amber-gold ones.

The chirps of birds and the distant sounds of the city became the background music as they both fell silent. They had stopped at a familiar, but deserted, playground that was near to where Hiyokoroshi Apartment Complex's neighborhood was. Ryouta had recognized it because the basketball court where Kagami frequented was also nearby. Now, this… This was definitely like something out of a shoujo manga.

"You… wanna be my lover, don't you?" said Kasamatsu finally.

Ryouta immediately reddened and spluttered. "E-EH?! NO! I-I—!"

But he forcefully held himself back. Was this… a trick question? Kasamatsu looked dead serious, though… But he couldn't just confess _now_! If he did it right now, he'll definitely lose his chances! "Lovers were friends at first", is what Takaocchi said. He needed to take it slow and steady. Amber orbs steeled into an almost-golden shade and the blonde took a deep breath before speaking.

"No… I want to be friends with you." Kasamatsu regarded him silently as he continued. "That night… I wouldn't have been the same if you hadn't done that. I have a lot to thank for, because of you. And someday, I want to repay your kindness," he ended, blushing lightly at the implications of the words. But rather than shy away, Kise stared back at the black-haired teen, smiling brightly for him. Yes, he could take it slow. It would be painful and frustrating at times, but at least Kasamatsu won't push him away. One step at a time, and Ryouta would be able to be closer to the blue-eyed teen.

Besides, he wasn't going to be alone in this. He had his new friends to support him along the way.

Kasamatsu sighed and smirked. "You haven't asked me if you could be my friend, though, you know?"

Ryouta, seeing the teasing glint in the steel-blue eyes that reminded him of Takao Kazunari, put his hands on his hips in mock indignation. "That's because you'll probably turn me down, Kasamatsu-san!" He was right to have done so, as the kickboxer immediately laughed afterwards, pleading guilty.

"Don't call me that, though," said Kasamatsu, changing the subject as he sobered up. Ryouta frowned, trying to ignore the pinprick he felt inside. "Why not?" he asked.

"Because it sounds weird, coming from you."

Ryouta prodded further in confusion, vehemently ignoring the pain he was starting to feel at being rejected. "Well, what else am I supposed to call you? 'Yukio-san'?"

"No. That sounds even weirder," answered the other immediately. He turned to where they were supposed to go, not looking at the blonde. "Just call me… 'Yukiocchi' again or something."

Amber eyes widened and Ryouta couldn't stop himself from gasping. He felt his heart spike up erratically. _Shit… this guy…_

Yukio yelped as his arm was hugged and he tried to stamp down the heat in his cheeks when Kise turned to him, glowing and blushing in happiness. "Okay~!" exclaimed the blonde, obviously pleased with his answer. He tried not to reflexively kick or punch him—and that was such a chore.

"Ha ha, let's go, then, Yukiocchi~!" said Kise, dragging him along with excitement and joy at being able to say that name again. "I can't believe I get to be friends with someone so cool, though~!"

Yukio gave in to the urge and kicked the blonde's side in sheer embarrassment. "S-Shut up! Do you seriously have to be that happy?!" But the tennis player-slash-model only laughed good-naturedly, rubbing his hip. He jogged after Kasamatsu as the teen looked away; cursing the warmth he was feeling on his face and cursing the whole damn lighting from the setting sun on Kise's handsome face. It was making his stomach flip weirdly.

Somewhere between the trees of the playground, their friends were hiding and watching them. Takao Kazunari was currently shaking his fists in utter joy, squealing quietly at the adorableness the two lovebirds were displaying. Midorima was frowning at the raven-haired teen, while Sakurai was chuckling lightly.

"Why did he let Kise call him that again?" asked Aomine, genuinely confused at the events.

"Because he couldn't imagine Kise-kun calling him anything else," answered Kuroko, sipping a cup of vanilla milkshake. "He tried to, but he realized that those sounded too intimate coming from Kise-kun."

" _Why_ are we following them again?" interjected Kagami exasperatedly, munching on a burger and holding a plastic bag full of burgers.

Takao suddenly stopped in his fangirling and swiftly clung to the tree as he observed Kasamatsu and Kise leaving the playground. "Because we're matchmaking them, that's why."

Aomine and Kagami groaned as Midorima pinched the bridge of his nose.

 

* * *

 

_Los Angeles, America_

In a dimly-lit room of a high-rise condominium unit, the sounds of keys being tapped faintly came from a desk directly next to a window. Long fingers—elegant but manly—flew on the keyboard as its owner silently muttered what he wanted to type. The weak light of the laptop casted shadows on the small room and on the owner's face—barely lighting the dark hair of said owner. Suddenly, a familiar beep sounded off and a notification bubble popped on the side of the glowing screen. Olive green eyes quickly read what was on it, and after giving a confused hum, the owner of the laptop clicked the notification. A black screen appeared, along with a smaller screen that mirrored the face of the one in the room. A second later, a familiar face showed up and smiled serenely.

 _"Good morning, Tatsuya,"_ greeted the person—or male teenager, rather. The one named Tatsuya quickly glanced at the digital clock on his monitor. 2:48 a.m., it read. Tatsuya smiled, seeing that _he_ was right about the time once again. Of course he would be.

"Good evening, Akashi-kun," greeted Tatsuya back, remembering the time difference correctly and easily slipping into Japanese. "Was there something you needed?"

The teen on the screen politely chuckled. _"Straight to business, I see."_

Tatsuya shrugged. "We've already chatted yesterday. So unless you have news that I needed to hear, this video call would be a bit uncharacteristic of you, wouldn't it?"

An amused smiled formed on the lips of his friend. _"Yes. It would. You are correct, Tatsuya. I do have news for you."_

The dark-haired teen silently waited for him to continue. If it was serious, he shouldn't interrupt. And knowing what time it was right now meant that it really was serious. Akashi usually called in the afternoon here. It may have just been a coincidence since Tatsuya was still up at this hour, but still, he could've waited.

 _"Atsushi,"_ called Akashi, glancing to his right. _"Tell Tatsuya what it is."_

A large head of long purple locks popped up from the side of the screen—the bored-looking face chewing something. The one named Atsushi swallowed before replying to Tatsuya. _"Hi, Muro-chin. Kaga-chin and Mine-chin got suspended from their clubs. Kise-chin and Mido-chin, too,"_ said Atsushi disinterestedly, before eating a potato chip and leaving the screen to Akashi.

Akashi stared back at Tatsuya as he propped his chin on top of his interlocked hands.

Himuro Tatsuya stared blankly at the monitor… before his serene features turned furious.

"Oh, they did _**not**_."

 

* * *

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please.


	5. I Want to Know More About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which this is sort of a filler chapter.

_Previously…_

"Kise… can you stop holding my arm now?"

"Eh? Why?"

"Argh, stop playing so hard-to-get, Yuu-chan! Can't you see the love in Kise's eyes?!"

"It's either the lighting isn't helping or he just wants to ignore what he's seeing."

"Guys. Seriously. How long are we going to follow them?"

* * *

 

The Exaggeratedly Perilous Journey of a Gay High School Romance

Chapter 5: I Want to Know More About You

 

* * *

 

Tuesday morning came and Kise Ryouta was waiting by the gates of Hiyokoroshi Apartment Complex once again. Kasamatsu figured that he shouldn't have been too surprised. After all, they had parted ways yesterday on good terms and it seemed that Kise had been eager to continue hanging out with him. That, and it was obvious that Kise liked him. A lot.

The black-haired and blue-eyed kickboxer stared at the mop of blonde hair he could see outside the gates and sighed. Yukio wasn't stupid. Anyone with half a brain could easily see that the tennis-player-slash-model was definitely enamoured with him, if the weird sparkly backgrounds appearing around the guy were anything to go by. That's why when he asked Kise's intentions yesterday, Yukio wasn't fooled when the blonde answered "friendship."

_"No… I want to be friends with you."_

Bullshit. It was _painfully obvious_ that Kise wanted more. His flustered state after Yukio asked him if he wanted to be lovers was solid proof of that. But of course, Yukio wisely stayed quiet and didn't voice his opinion. His immediate reaction had been to be pessimistic and skeptical about it, but his curiosity held him back. Why would Kise not seize that perfect moment to admit his feelings to him? Was he afraid that he'd be rejected, even though Yukio really would've rejected him—or at least, not give the blonde much hope?

Yukio frowned. Alright, that sounded a bit conceited and cruel, but the point is, it wasn't that hard to guess that Kise likes him. Only a few days of getting to know each other and all the guy ever did was smile at him so much.

"Ah, Yukiocchi! Good morning~!" Cue wide smile and faint sparkles behind the blonde teen.

Yukio sighed. See?

But what he couldn't understand was why it was him, of all people. What was it about him that attracted someone like Kise Ryouta? His looks? Yukio would sometimes garner admirers outside of his idol fanbase, but he couldn't exactly say that he was charming. Unlike Kise, he knew that he was gruff and blunt, often to the point of being physical with his friends. His face wasn't beautiful like the blonde model's. He looked intimidating and fierce most of the time—a joke Takao Kazunari never failed to mention. Probably the only redeeming trait was his eyes. Kazunari and the others had admitted that his eyes were very piercing with their shade of blue. Maybe that's what got Kise interested?

Or perhaps it was his personality? But whatever on earth would be so attractive about his rough attitude?

Meanwhile, Kise averted his eyes in embarrassment and unease as Kasamatsu continued to stare at him. Was he too early? Was there something wrong with his appearance? Or maybe Kasamatsu didn't really want to see him so soon in their newfound friendship? Had he made a mistake in coming here? There were so many questions in need of an immediate answer that it made Ryouta's head swirl. He had always heard that love was complicated and confusing, but he didn't think it would be _this_ much. Shouldn't it be just as simple as getting the girl—or boy, in this case—and living happily ever after?

But no… If it was that simple, then it wouldn't be half as fun and invigorating. Ryouta snuck a glance at the shorter teen beside him and hid a smile. It was a challenge, yes, but it was definitely a fun one. Being with Kasamatsu Yukio was an adventure all on its own, and if Kise could easily claim his beloved, then there would be no point to all of these feelings burning up inside him.

"Guys, I'm aging here. Can we go now?"

Both boys flinched in shock as the impatient voice of one Takao Kazunari broke their musings.

"T-Takaocchi! You're coming with us to school?" stuttered Kise, surprised at the arrival of the raven-haired idol. He should've expected that his and Yukiocchi's walks alone together wouldn't last. Well, at least it's Takao.

"Of course I am. I need to graduate, ya know?" joked Takao, playfully poking an elbow against Kise's side.

"So you finally decided to join us, huh?" said Kasamatsu, turning away from the two to start walking towards Kiseki no Sedai.

"Oh, don't be such a sourpuss about yesterday. I leave you on your own every now and then, don't I?" bantered Kazunari, slinging an arm on Yukio's shoulder as he caught up and slinging the other around Ryouta's. "At least you had Kise to keep you company~!"

"I'm not a sourpuss," grunted Yukio.

"Please excuse my best friend, Kise. He hasn't taken his daily dose of Takao Kazunari Huggles yet."

"The fuck is that?!"

Ryouta didn't know whether to laugh or be jealous as Takao proceeded to bear-hug Kasamatsu while the other tried to strangle him. The scene was reminiscent of Alex-san, Kagami and Himuro's American basketball mentor, trying to kiss Kagamicchi—and by that memory, he couldn't help snorting in amusement. In fact, it also reminded him of the times he tried to be affectionate towards his own friends and most of them ended up wanting to kick him to the curb.

Funnily enough, the number of times that scene happened with Midorima occurred less than the others. Despite his claim as the green-haired teen's best friend, Ryouta knew that there was this invisible boundary in which he needed to follow most of the time. Shintarou was never really all that comfortable with physical affection, even amongst friends and blood relations, and so Ryouta never tried to push his luck much. As a kid, he grew up always chattering to the other and the amount of hugs he gave were moderate enough that his best friend never got too bothered. In fact, it was the kind of moderate amount—half of which he asked permission to do and another half of which he gave as a surprise—that made Midorimacchi gradually open up to him throughout these years. Ryouta knew he couldn't do it the way he befriended Aominecchi because Midorima was the introverted type.

There were times when he'd go too far and end up angering the green-haired boy, though. And it would always leave him depressed because Shintarou was the first true friend he'd ever made in kindergarten and he hated the thought of losing him. He'd grown to love having him around, despite the other's eccentric hobbies. Because underneath all that unapproachable aura was a loyal friend who mothers him through denial and secret acts of kindness.

Because Midorima Shintarou was the first person to look past Ryouta's apparent beauty.

"What'cha thinking about, Kise?"

Ryouta blinked in surprise. Takao was looking at him curiously—while being headlocked by Kasamatsu, who was also staring at him.

"Ah, no, it's just…" The blonde chuckled quietly, before breaking into a wistful smile. "You just remind me of how I am with Midorimacchi."

"Really…?" said Kasamatsu, looking warily at the raven-haired boy he was holding and back at Kise.

"Our best friends are such tsundere jerks, aren't they!?" whined Takao, pouting. To which Kasamatsu tightened his hold in response.

Ryouta laughed then, thoroughly amused by the two's antics. Yes, they _were_ somewhat similar to him and Midorima, with a hint of Aomine and Kagami's friendship. The bond was quite strong for two boys with opposite personalities such as them, though, and that made Ryouta wonder how long they have been friends.

_"I've known him since we were kids and we've been together through thick and thin."_

The words echoed in Ryouta's ears and he couldn't help remembering how serious Takao looked back then.

_"He's my family, my brother, my sidekick—sometimes, my mother, even!"_

So they're really, _really_ close, then. If it's like that, then they must've been neighbors or maybe even connected by relatives. It was possible since the two have physical similarities, but Takao seemed like the type to boast about stuff between him and Kasamatsu, and the silvery-eyed teen would've informed him from the start if he and Kasamatsu were related in any way or had met through relatives.

So the best bet would be is that they grew up as neighbors and stuck together ever since. Kinda like how he and Midorimacchi happened.

"Just ask about it, Kise."

The blonde model started, eyes focusing back on Kasamatsu. The blue-eyed kickboxer was smirking as he dusted off his hands—a coughing Takao squatting on the ground beside him. Damn it, how many times had he spaced out today?

"W-What?" he asked hesitantly.

"You looked like you're curious about how a banshee like him managed to stay alive around me," replied Kasamatsu coolly, jerking a thumb towards his raven-haired best friend.

"More like how a flagpole like you managed to stay straight around _me_ ," came the low mutter from the ground. A kick to the ass followed almost instantly.

"A-Ah well…" Ryouta hesitated in answering—and thinking deeper about the "straight" comment—and instead opted to help Takao up as he whined, pouted, and childishly blew raspberries at Ryouta's crush while they continued walking. _I guess it wouldn't really hurt to ask something like that_ , he concluded.

"From what I saw, you guys and Sakuraicchi and Kurokocchi looked like you've been friends for a while now," he started, licking his lips. "But Yukiocchi seems closer with Takaocchi while Kurokocchi seems closer with Sakuraicchi…"

"That's because the four of us were dynamic duos first," answered Takao, slinging his arm around Kasamatsu's shoulders once again. "Yuu-chan and I were classmates way back in elementary school. In fact, we grew up in the same neighborhood in Kanagawa."

"Kanagawa Prefecture?" interrupted Ryouta, surprised at the tidbit.

"Yep. We only moved when we reached middle school. Now, Tetsu-chan and Ryou-chan were the same as us. They knew each other in kindergarten and went to the same middle school, too. And that's where we met them."

"It feels like only yesterday when we had to save them from those stupid bullies," remarked Yukio casually. But he was pulled away from his reminiscing when the arm on his shoulder suddenly tensed. Yukio's steel-blue eyes swiftly looked down at the hand dangling on his left and noticed a slight twitch of the fingers.

"Bullies?" repeated Kise, but Yukio was too busy with staring at Kazunari's hand to notice.

"Yeah, it happened just after the first week of our freshman year," replied Takao. "Some idiots decided to pick on Ryou-chan after school while he and Tetsu-chan were walking home. Long story short, Yuu-chan swooped in to save the day and rescue the two princesses!"

At Kise's noise of awe, Yukio forcefully dragged himself away from staring and levelled a look at Kazunari. "No, _you_ swooped in. And by 'swooped in', I mean you literally jumped onto them. I had to take down all the others who hadn't been frightened away by your crazy cawing. And you better pray that Tetsuya won't find out that you called him a princess."

"K-Kise won't tell!" assured Kazunari. "Right, Kise!?"

"Why? Is Kurokocchi scary when—" The memory of last Saturday morning, when they had to face off against a sleep-deprived Kuroko Tetsuya, popped up into Ryouta's head and he now suddenly understood why Takao paled a moment ago.

"Ah… n-never mind. Yes, I won't tell on you, Takaocchi."

"Thank youuuu~! You're a lifesaver, Kise!"

Yukio found the question's retraction strange, though, and commented on it. "Sounds like you've already seen him angry," he joked.

"Well, I did wake up him at—" And for the second time, the blonde tennis player faltered as he only now remembered as to _why_ he woke Kuroko up that time. Suddenly panicking, he couldn't think of a good excuse to replace his words quick enough.

"Oh, you mean last Friday when he took a nap at the clubroom and you accidentally spilled the milkshake that I bought him?"

Startled amber eyes rose to lock gazes with silver-blue ones and one of the latter orbs quickly winked at him. Oh, good god, Ryouta could actually kiss this guy!

"Ahahaha! Man, that was a riot!" laughed Takao boisterously, gaily recounting the fake tale of how Kise accidentally incurred Kuroko's wrath to Kasamatsu. To his credit, Kasamatsu actually gave Ryouta a sympathetic cringe of a smile and several warnings on how to best avoid angering their short blue-haired friend.

Thank goodness Yukiocchi believed it! He couldn't just let the other know that he had discovered that side of Kurokocchi when he had been visiting in regards to the Taekwondo kickboxer, after all! That would be a hard story to explain without revealing that he was there because he was interested in Kasamatsu.

"Well, that's pretty much the gist of it," said Takao, continuing their story about meeting Kuroko and Sakurai. "After that, we kinda just found ourselves hanging out with the two and deciding to go to the same high school."

"You went to Kiseki just for them?" asked Ryouta incredulously. He would've understood if it was just between the two of them, but to choose a school based on where Kurokocchi and Sakuraicchi were going?

"Ah, actually, it was just a coincidence with that," answered Kasamatsu. "I got an offer to enroll in Kaijou and it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. When I got accepted in Kiseki, I knew I had to go to Tokyo for high school."

"I just wanted to follow wherever Yuu-chan went," quipped Takao nonchalantly, crossing his arms behind his head.

Kasamatsu snorted. "You just wanted to leave Kanagawa."

"Of course I do! It was boring there!"

Ryouta chuckled as Takao started pouting once again. "And Sakuraicchi and Kurokocchi?"

"Tetsuya and Ryou just happened to choose Kiseki no Sedai. Tetsuya was going to live in Tokyo after middle school anyway."

"So just imagine our reactions when we found out that we were all aiming for Kiseki," Takao said, laughing.

"That's an amazing kind of coincidence…" commented Ryouta in awe. "But I'm surprised they chose Kiseki. I mean, it's only been about three years since the school was built. It's just so popular here because of the facilities and all of those competitions we've won lately."

"Well, Tetsuya and his mom were on the move for a while during his grade school and middle school days. But when she had to go overseas, he decided to stay behind in Japan—and right here in Tokyo. I guess it just kinda helped that a family friend had recommended Tetsuya to the school because of his musical prestige."

"Why not our neighboring academy, though? If Kurokocchi's that good, then I'm sure they would've offered a scholarship to him or something. There's no way they would've missed him… right?"

Takao laughed at Ryouta's uncertainty. "Tecchan doesn't have low presence when he's playing the piano, so of course he's popular. But he chose Kiseki no Sedai instead because of Ryou-chan."

Kise turned to Takao, confusion evident in his eyes.

"Ryou-chan tried to aim for Geijutsu Academy for Tecchan's sake. He failed the entrance exam there, but he managed to pass Kiseki's."

"Somehow."

"Yeah."

"So… Kurokocchi chose to go to Kiseki… so he can be with Sakuraicchi?" concluded Kise, a bit surprised.

"Really romantic, isn't it?" commented Takao, wiggling his eyebrows.

Kasamatsu quickly glared at him. "Don't you _dare_ say it."

"Say what? That it sounds just like _us_ —ow ow ow ow OW!"

Ryouta could only smile apologetically as the raven-haired teen was subjected to a painful-looking head grip. But it was really amazing to know that he and his friends actually had a lot in common with Yukiocchi and his friends. They had all enrolled in Kiseki for the same reason, too: to be with each other.

Ryouta had no doubt in his mind that whichever school Midorimacchi had chosen, he would've chosen it, too. Himuro and Kagami lived in Tokyo, and Kagami had heard about Kiseki no Sedai's specialty in sports, so there was no other choice to think about. Aomine, who had become quite close to the two ever since they returned from America, decided to follow wherever Kagami was going to harass him further—though he'll never admit that he just didn't want to be left behind by the brothers again. It was miraculous enough that they were reunited after their elementary school days. Momoi, the ever-faithful and vigilant keeper/surrogate sister of Aominecchi, had decided to continue being by his side. She and Himuro had become quite close, anyway. Akashi and Murasakibara, on the other hand, already had their own spots in the academy even before its construction. After all, the owner of the school was Akashi's own father.

"Would you guys believe that my friends and I all know each other since middle school, too?" asked Kise, eager to share his story.

"Wha—all four of you, too?!"

"Technically, there're eight of us in our circle of friends," corrected Ryouta with a grin.

 

* * *

 

Upstairs in Room 2A, Kuroko fondly stroked Nigou's fur as the puppy happily ate his breakfast. The blunette always made sure to accompany his dog every day at this time of the morning. He himself couldn't tell the exact reason why he did the daily ritual, but Kuroko was content enough to leisurely pass the early hour without any hurry—the sight of his lively Tetsuya No. 2 chowing down food never failing to make him smile.

"Tetsuya-san, we'd better go or we'll be late."

Kuroko looked up to see Sakurai entering his kitchen with his school bag in hand. "Alright, let me just finish up here." Nigou was almost done with his meal; he couldn't leave without making sure that the Alaskan Malamute was settled for the day.

Licking up the last bits, Nigou moved to his water bowl, letting his master deposit his food bowl on the sink for later. Tetsuya then went to check on his bag and the rest of the apartment before he locked up. He scanned the spot his dog usually preferred in the living room. All his toys were out and the litter box on the balcony was freshly-cleaned. The pet-friendly food and water dispenser were also ready for lunchtime. Perfect.

Sakurai stood next to the blunette as he cuddled a goodbye out of the fluffy puppy as soon as he was done drinking. "Nigou's still not used to it?" he asked concernedly, stroking the tail.

"He's getting better," answered Kuroko with relief. When he and his friends first found Nigou inside a tattered box by the sidewalk a month ago, he hadn't expected the pup to adapt to a new environment so easily. Living here in his apartment—which Tetsuya will forever love and be grateful to, as pets were allowed—hadn't been such a daunting task for Nigou, who was practically an orphan. But Tetsuya discovered just recently that abandonment actually _was_ a big issue with the Alaskan Malamute, as Nigou came to dislike his new owner leaving for several hours almost every day. He'd grown accustomed to Tetsuya being with him during the summer that it had greatly upset him when the teen had to attend school once April rolled in. Fortunately, the puppy hadn't displayed the usual signs of agitation by thrashing his apartment, but he was still worried as he always found Nigou dejectedly lying around whenever he came home.

"He really needs to have company whenever I'm not around," added Tetsuya. "He gets lonely easily."

"Maybe we can leave him with Haru-san and Mio-san?" suggested Ryou. "I don't think they would mind so much since that would mean Pachinko-kun will have a playmate."

Tetsuya had been considering the idea, as well. Pachinko, their landlord's 5-year-old Akita, liked Nigou well enough and the suggestion was viable—but the blunette felt like he would be a burden to the elderly couple. It was bad enough that they were managing a three-storey building and the vegetable garden beside it all on their own.

"Maybe…" Tetsuya glanced at his front door. "Maybe I can just install a doggy flap."

Sakurai looked at the entrance and cocked his head in thought. "Hmmm… that would mean that Nigou can leave the apartment so he won't be alone…"

"And yet still be able to come back inside without bothering anyone," finished Kuroko with a smile. "He can come and go as he pleases."

"That's perfect!" replied Ryou excitedly. "Why didn't we think of that sooner?"

Tetsuya shrugged and put his dog back down on the floor. "Getting it installed might take a while, but I'm sure we can manage. Right, boy?"

Nigou, sensing the relief from both teens, barked happily in response.

"By the way," began the blunette as they moved to the entrance hall, "Kagami-kun texted me about our training with him and Aomine-kun. He says we can start later after practice."

Remembering that and what happened last Saturday made Ryou sigh exasperatedly. "Honestly, Kazunari-san didn't have to do that."

"But we can't deny that we do need help," admitted Tetsuya, feeling chagrined.

"True."

They quickly left the apartment with a last goodbye to Nigou and then to Haru-san by the gate, and headed to school in a leisurely walk. "With Kazunari-kun busy in making Kise-kun and Yukio-kun _busy_ , we have no one else to turn to," continued the blue-haired pianist.

"That can't be! Surely there's someone else that we know!" protested Ryou, suddenly feeling helpless.

Tetsuya raised a brow. "You don't want Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun to help us? They would be better teachers in basketball and soccer than Yukio-kun ever could be."

Ryou pressed his lips into a thin line, darting his gaze away. "I know that. And I'm grateful. But I just wish it wasn't them."

His best friend clapped a hand on his shoulder, his voice a gentle contrast to his previous demeanor regarding the Thursday fiasco. "I'm sure Aomine-kun won't tease you about it. He doesn't like to remember what happened either."

The brunette could only smile ruefully. Oh, he definitely won't talk to Ryou about it, alright. But that wasn't what concerned him with their current setup. Ryou had been hoping to minimize their contact as much as possible—him only having to interact with the dark-skinned soccer player as a classmate and temporary club member. But now he had no choice but to meet him outside of the school, too. And to have him as a coach, as well!

Hopefully, Ryou won't regret agreeing to this.

"Do you think this'll work? N-Not that I'm saying Yukio-san and Kazunari-san had taught us so poorly, that is!"

"While it's true that we've managed to pass last year thanks to our friends, it's still not enough," answered Tetsuya. "We need help more than ever and it's about time that Kazunari-kun and Yukio-kun took a break from us. I'm confident that we'll improve greatly under Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun's tutelage."

"Even if they're considered… idiots?" remarked Sakurai hesitantly, afraid that voicing the words would summon the two.

"Even if they're considered idiots," agreed Kuroko impassively.

But the conversation, despite light, reminded them of their inability to be physically daunting and useful in sports, and so the rest of the walk was spent by Kuroko thinking of ways on how to exact petty vengeance upon one Takao Kazunari while Sakurai tried his best to save their raven-haired friend.

They arrive at the academy fairly quickly and were greeted by the sight of several colorful booths and stands lined up on the walkway to the entrance. It was the second day of the club bazaar but things were still as lively as ever. Various shouts and hollers of info regarding different clubs and organizations sounded off between loudly and distantly as the pair proceeded inside the gates. From the famous Basketball Club to the infamous Otome Club, every booth represented all of Kiseki no Sedai's student organizations.

With the exception of one, that is.

Kuroko and Sakurai stilled as they found Takao, Kasamatsu, and Kise ahead of them get intercepted by two students from one of the booths. The blunette pursed his lips when he recognized them.

"Oh, good morning, guys!" said the guy between the two. "How've you been?"

"Fine, fine. Looks like you guys are, too," answered Takao amicably.

"Yeah, we're hoping to have a huge turn-out this year," replied the female student this time, wearing a coy smile. "What about you guys?"

"Oh, you know…" Takao rolled a shoulder into a noncommittal shrug. "Just hanging out in our HQ, waiting for your scraps."

An awkward silence settled between the five of them. The two students' faces blanked out, but one could see that both confusion and irritation were swirling within their eyes. They weren't expecting their chance to mock to be stolen by their very target—nor were they expecting Takao Kazunari to anticipate their intentions.

Kasamatsu gave Takao a chiding look. When he moved to leave and his other two companions decided to follow, the male student quickly piped up. "I'm sure you'll get new recruits, too."

"Yeah. After all, we'll be getting a lot of newbies ourselves, so we'll have to let _some_ people go."

The words were clearly meant to be insulting, but it didn't yield the effects they were hoping. Kasamatsu raised a brow and cocked his head to the side. Takao rubbed his chin as if pondering some great mystery. Only Kise thinned his lips and appeared to be holding back his tongue.

"You guys are new, aren't you?" said Takao with a slight frown.

"New at bullying, at least," muttered Kasamatsu under his breath.

The two Second-Year students appeared both peeved and embarrassed at having been called out. But when the girl opened her mouth to continue, Kuroko darted forward with single-minded determination.

"Sakamoto-san, Hyodo-kun, that's enough," Tetsuya said, his voice laced with such steely edge that Kise started and looked shocked at him. Or perhaps that was because he appeared out of thin air again.

"K-K-Kuroko-senpai!" Sakamoto the girl and Hyodo the guy stood up straight and stared at him in horror and surprise.

"Please tell Nagoto-senpai that if she wants to inform the Glee Club of her opinions, then she should do it on her own—not command two of her kouhai to force themselves to adopt her way of thinking and do her dirty work like common lackeys."

The two looked at the ground, guilt and deference written all over their forms. "Y-Yes, Senpai…"

"Now please go back to your booth and help out. Also, please stop addressing me as your senpai," asked Kuroko gently, but firmly.

"Y-Yes, Sen—K-Kuroko-san!" replied Sakamoto. Hyodo bowed deeply. "W-We're sorry, Kuroko-san!"

They quickly went away, back to the brass-themed booth on the left of the walkway.

"What… was that?" asked Kise as the two were out of hearing distance, still feeling awkward and just shy of raging at the confrontation.

Kuroko turned to him with guilt and shame in his calm eyes. "Please excuse them, Kise-kun. It seems the Music Club's president had ordered them to mock any member of the Glee Club that they will cross paths with today."

"Or any other day," added Takao with a snort.

"They're from the Music Club?" asked Kise. "But hang on, why were they calling you 'senpai'? Aren't they Second-Years, too?

"Yes, that is why I asked them to stop. They do that because…" Kuroko trailed off awkwardly, a small frown marring his face.

Kasamatsu leaned towards Kise as if parting a huge secret. "It's their way of saying '-sama' to him."

"Eh?!"

"Not necessarily," Kuroko said hesitantly. "As arrogant as it sounds, I was their star pianist until I switched clubs. They recognize members who have exceptional skills as above their… status… and thus, defer to them with reverence and strict formality. President Nagoto wouldn't have it any other way."

"They have that kind of hierarchy system…?" Kise looked both troubled and a little bit dazed.

"Unfortunately, yes. But please don't fault Hyodo-kun and Sakamoto-san for what they did," pleaded the blunette. "They are not truly against our club, but Nagoto-senpai has a tight rein on them and the others."

"That girl is so dead-set on hating us that she's not above poisoning others and telling them to join her," growled Takao. "And all because she can't accept the fact that Tetsu-chan left her club on his own."

"Was Kurokocchi their only good musician, then?" asked Kise, confused about Nagoto's dislike of the Glee Club. Sure, he had expected some form of enmity coming from the Big Three, but he was thinking more along the lines of haughty behavior rather than aggressive tactics. It seemed strange to think about the elegant and sophisticated Performing Arts clubs that way.

"No, she's just angry 'cause she has a crush on Tetsuya," explained Kasamatsu with a smirk.

"Wha—really?!"

"Unlike Momoi, though, Nagoto liked his music skills first before his gentlemanly ways," added Takao with a chuckle.

Kuroko quietly huffed in annoyance at his friends' leering smiles. "Either way, you shouldn't have provoked them like that, Kazunari-kun."

"Hey, if Alpha Bitch wants to mess with us, then I can't just stand by and watch," countered the raven-haired teen with nonchalance.

"But Sakamoto-san and Hyodo-kun hadn't even insulted you yet."

"But they were going to try anyway, right? So isn't it great that I can beat them to it?"

Kuroko just shook his head. "Copying them isn't going to make things better. In situations like these, you should just be passive."

"Like you?" teased Takao.

"He's right and you know it, Kazu," said Kasamatsu firmly, gesturing for them to continue walking towards the front doors. "We're in a delicate situation. The Student Council may have helped us form, but they can't save us if we get in trouble with any of the other clubs. So stop picking fights and focus your energy on dishing out charm on-stage instead."

"Yeah, yeah, I kno—hey, wait. Where's Ryou-chan?"

The four boys halted and looked at each other with wide eyes. "Sakuraicchi? Was he here with us?" asked Kise in confusion.

"Yes, Ryou-kun and I walked to school together. He was right beside me when we found you three," answered Kuroko, mystified as to where his best friend could've gone without excusing himself. It wasn't like the brunette to disappear like he does.

"Come on, don't tell me he's learned misdirection now. He was with Tecchan just a while ago!"

"Ah! Sorry! Were you guys waiting for me?"

The four turned in unison as Sakurai Ryou jogged up to them. "Where did you go?" asked Kasamatsu, surreptitiously observing every detail he could scour from Ryou's panting form. He didn't often play detective when it came to the brunette—the action better suited to mischievous Takao—but his gut told him that things didn't seem right with Ryou disappearing all of a sudden.

Something had happened.

"Toritsuka-sensei had dropped her items on the way. I went to help her pick them up," Sakurai responded with an apologetic look.

Yukio fought the urge to share a glance with Kazunari. He couldn't rely on his observation only. He, Tetsuya, and Kazu—even Hyuga-senpai who was acquainted with Ryou's skills—all knew how talented of an actor Sakurai Ryou actually was, despite appearances. The only reason why he didn't make the cut in the Drama Club was because of their favoritism towards richer members. The brunette was usually transparent with them—and Hyuga-senpai once remarked that there were other, better actors than him, unfortunately—but he could still fool the best of them if he set his mind to it. Right now, Ryou was the image of an innocent angel, but Yukio knew how deceiving that façade could actually be.

To think that this brilliant actor was the same stuttering and timid teenager that they had come to know…

A familiar face by his peripheral view caught Yukio's attention. The president of the Drama Club stood next to his club's booth some distance away, glaring at them. He started moving to stalk their group. Alarmed, the kickboxer flashed his gaze back to his brown-eyed friend. Surely he hadn't…?

But then Hyuga and Imayoshi, along with Aida-senpai and the members of Sei Rin Sanctum, came up to the Drama Club's booth and seized their attention. Hyuga locked gazes with Yukio and sent a silent command to leave.

Yukio nodded tersely. It was a good thing that they looked out for each other. Hopefully, the group will be okay without them.

"Geez, Ryou-chan! Warn us next time, would ya? It's bad enough that Tecchan can do that, but you, too? We won't live to see the next sunrise if you keep that up," exaggerated Takao and, having seen his upperclassmen's looks at them, turned to continue walking.

"I'm sorry, Kazunari-san," appeased Sakurai with a smile. "But then how come you're still alive with Tetsuya-san's pranks?"

As laughter rang out from Kise, Yukio relaxed and joined them. But he quickly took the lead and ushered the group into a safer path when he noticed a Dance Troupe member obviously waiting for them to pass by his spot.

He shouldn't have been surprised that the morning turned out like this. Ever since their club was formed, a lot of people were against them and had been quick to oppose them at every turn. Of course, it wasn't visible to most of the students since the Big Three were currently in hot water with the Student Council, but the dislike was still there. So he should've expected them to show up in the club bazaar and try to humiliate them in public.

Yukio expelled a soft sigh. How long would this thing last, exactly?

_The better question is how long can we hold out before things get ugly?_

 

* * *

 

Takao Kazunari sighed as Hyuga-senpai finally dismissed them for the day. While they had been informed last week that practice would last until eight in the evening, their bespectacled president was being merciful for once and was letting them go once six struck on the clock. But he knew the mercy wouldn't last. Come Monday next week, the hellish practice regime will start once again. Better to savor the relief while they can.

The raven-haired teen stretched on the dance floor, groaning as his sore muscles strained and sighing in bliss as they relaxed. While fun and upbeat, "Dream Girl" had wicked choreography—enough to leave them all sore tomorrow. Or rather, him and his best friend only, that is. _Technically, it's mine and Yukio's fault since we're in charge of the dance, but still…_ He had been bored while they were just practicing the vocals, and decided that an impromptu dance battle against the blue-eyed kickboxer sounded like a great idea.

He now admits that he was wrong.

Kazunari sat up after several minutes of stretching and inwardly cursing. Right. What should he do for the rest of the day?

Silvery-blue eyes glanced at the blonde and black-haired teens near the refreshment table. He could join Kise and Yuu-chan again. At least with that, it wouldn't so look suspicious to Yukio that he was plotting something concerning him and the charming tennis player-slash-model. But he wanted to give Kise the chance to have his best friend all to himself again.

Kazunari snorted. Years ago, he would've smacked himself thinking that very thought. Let no one claim that he wasn't possessive of the people he cherished.

Shaking his head, he crossed out the two lovebirds. Better to leave them on their own this time. If he and the others kept following the two, Yuu-chan might finally notice that they were being stalked. His gaze drifted to Kuroko and Sakurai chatting with Kagami and Aomine. According to the two during lunch, Tetsu-chan and Ryou-chan's training would start after club practice. Kazunari felt a childish pout coming on, but he withheld himself. It was _his_ brilliant idea to get the two athletes to tutor his friends, so he had no right to lament his decision. _May the Lord have mercy on you guys, though_ , thought the raven-haired teen with a wince. Knowing how totally opposite on the spectrum of sports the four were, the training would take _quite_ a while.

The raven-haired male cocked his head. He _could_ watch their training and walk home with them… But then that would mean seeing Ryou and Tetsuya flounder with their feet and Aomine and Kagami most probably tearing their hair out, and he had winced enough in his lifetime, thank you very much. Why is it that two good dancers can't seem to play a sports right?

Looking around, he couldn't see anyone else to walk home with. Despite what people know of him, it would be awkward to hang out with his seniors. And he still wasn't acquainted enough with the Music Club reps to join their circle.

_Damn. Looks like I'm on my own today._

The teen clicked his tongue. Well, at least it meant some time alone to muse with his thoughts while he walked. But he had already gotten used to having company that whenever he walked alone, he didn't want to dawdle any further and hurried his pace. Disappointed, Takao moved to clean himself up in the boy's shower room right next door, when a shock of verdant green hair tugged his gaze back. Silvery-blue orbs slowly widened along with lips forming a small "o", until a delighted and impish grin crossed Kazunari's face.

Of course! How could he have forgotten?

It took several more minutes than he first anticipated, but he managed to exit the showers and leave the school in record time. He looked around the road, trying to spot the same shade of green hair. _Dammit. Did he see me smiling diabolically and decided to bolt while he could?_

When he came back inside the dance studio, Midorima was nowhere to be found. Koganei-senpai and Tsuchida-senpai said he already left. The raven-haired idol couldn't fault the green-haired teen for that. He hadn't exactly been politely cordial to him. There was just something about the guy that made Kazunari want to heckle him. He reminded Kazunari of Yukio, but even stiffer.

Kazunari stifled a snort. It'll definitely be fun proverbially poking him with a stick.

But like hell was Midorima Shintarou getting away from him. They made a deal last Saturday that whenever Kasamatsu, Kuroko, and Sakurai were all occupied, then the archer had to walk home with him. If he thought he could run away from someone as sharp-eyed and nimble as Takao Kazunari, then he had another think coming.

Kazunari quickly recalled the other boy's route to his home residence. Yesterday, when they had stalked Yukio and Kise on their way home, they had all split up at the intersection just a few blocks from the basketball court. It was the same one when they all went to pick Yukio up from Kaijou. If Midorima had left about 10 minutes ago—and if he was confident enough in losing Kazunari that he didn't bother taking a detour, he could still catch him at the border of the residential district.

Kazunari quickly darted towards the correct path and sprinted. There were several people along the way, but they were nothing he couldn't dodge without stopping. Snapping apologies and excuses left and right, his heart burst into triumphant joy as, after several minutes of jogging, a familiar tall form finally came into view. He could probably spot the archer a mile away, even without his sharp eyes.

"SHIN-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN~!"

Midorima swore he jumped at least a foot up into the air as the abhorred nickname reached his ears. He quickened his pace while trying not to run, but unfortunately, Takao Kazunari reached him before he could take more than six strides. Shintarou had been all but ready to hurl his book bag and a reprimand if Takao so much as humiliatingly glomp him in the middle of the street like Kise sometimes would. But the raven-haired idol surprised him by just stuttering to a stop a few meters ahead of him and shooting him a victorious grin over his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" asked Takao slyly, making sure his silvery eyes were glimmering in deviousness and devilish delight despite the exhaustion creeping in. To his credit, the green-haired teen looked torn between appearing cowed, appearing indignant, and appearing horrified.

"I suuuure hope you weren't thinking of leaving me behiiiind~," said Kazunari in a sing-song voice, tucking his arms behind his head.

"Surely you could've sought someone else as your companion?" shot Midorima back, not bothering to deny that that had been the plan.

"Ah-ah! A deal's a deal, Shin-chan. I promised that I'd help your friend, so you gotta pay for him."

"And by paying, you meant suffering as I let you dog my every step?" scowled the archer.

Takao rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't have had to chase you down if you had just let me tag along like any normal person. I just didn't want to be alone while my friends are out there having the time of their lives."

"Maybe you should've thought of that first before you decided to take up Kise's offer."

Takao blinked in surprise at Midorima's retort. He hadn't expected the other teen to be so cynical and so against this arrangement. Granted, Midorima would be, but not by this margin. And he didn't want to admit it, but the statement stung. He _did_ agree to his current situation and now, he was stuck with this sardonic, horoscope-obsessed boy who didn't want him around.

_You could always just go home alone._

Takao gritted his teeth and fell into step beside Midorima.

_No thanks. Not Wednesday yet._

"Oh, lighten up. You'll only have to 'suffer' in my presence for less than 20 minutes. Don't tell me you can't hold out that long?" taunted Kazunari, flashing the other a challenging look. As expected, Midorima narrowed his eyes.

"And besides, I just want someone to talk to."

Shintarou glanced sideways at the raven-haired teen. He was actually… behaving, for once. Apart from the nickname, Takao hadn't started to try annoying him as much as he usually did. The idol was actually trying to bargain with him about the benefits of their walking home together without acting like a hooligan. Of course, his reasons all sounded ridiculous and made Shintarou want to roll his eyes, but Takao sounded so unassuming and _normal_ —not leering and teasing—that for once, the green-haired male just listened without any reply in mind. He really didn't know what to say to this person. He didn't know what to make of Takao Kazunari. He was happy-go-lucky, yes—and annoying, too. But then the teen would also display cunning and a hidden depth of mild-mannered charm in brief moments that left Midorima utterly baffled.

It was like Kise all over again, but even more confusing.

And was that a hint of loneliness in the other's tone?

Shintarou sighed, not bothering to hide his frustration. "Why do you even wish to be near my presence?" he asked, pinning the raven-haired teen with a sharp, emerald gaze. "I can see that you're not stupid and you know I care not for company, so why do you insist on befriending me?"

Takao shook his head as they turned into a residential street. "I'm seriously admiring Kise right now. To think he actually had the balls to want _you_ as a friend, of all people," he said, both mocking and awe-sounding. "Do you even consider him your best friend, like he does?"

Shintarou opened his mouth to automatically dismiss the claim, but quickly closed it. It had been ingrained in his mind to always dismiss it out of embarrassment, but in his heart, Shintarou knew what Kise Ryouta truly was for him.

But that didn't mean he had to divulge that to Takao, of all people.

"Besides," continued Takao. "Who said I wanted to befriend you?"

That stopped Shintarou up short and he was surprised to see that he actually halted in walking. Takao looked back at him with a wink. "Maybe I just wanted someone to bicker with."

Midorima didn't realize he had a stunned expression on when Takao turned away, looking pleased and humming under his breath. Shintarou clicked his tongue and walked quickly, trying to dismiss the heat rising to his cheeks.

"Hey, where do you even buy those kinds of lucky items?"

The green-haired teen blinked as Takao pointed to the antique-looking abacus in his arms. "In antique stores, of course," he replied with a sniff.

"But that would've had to cost quite a lot. Do you ever try to find cheaper ones?" Takao asked once more, sounding strangely curious. "Like, does Oha-Asa ever recommend cheaper alternatives?"

Midorima felt one eyebrow slowly cocking. He didn't try to stop feeling curious himself as he answered the query. Perhaps this arrangement wouldn't be as bad he initially thought.

 

* * *

 

"Alright, let's see what you guys got."

Kagami slipped out of his black school blazer and tossed it onto his bag. As Sakurai and Kuroko took off their own blazers, the redhead scanned the empty basketball court and folded his sleeves up. When they had discussed about how they were going to tackle the training, the two Glee Club members quickly requested for basketball to be the first sport, since it would be in PE this semester while soccer was for the second semester. So they went to Taiga's usual haunt—the b-ball court near that playground where Kise and Kasamatsu had their "shoujo manga moment", as Takao called it. The place was surprisingly deserted at this time, but Taiga didn't bother to dwell on it. The sooner he could get Kuroko and Sakurai to play good enough, the better.

That was why he had contacted them as soon as possible. Fortunately, the two at least knew how the sport worked.

When his two students—to which Taiga felt both trepidation and pride thinking about—finally readied themselves in passable stances to start playing, the redhead took out his basketball from his sports bag and did a bit of dribbling. "Okay, we'll start with this. One lap of dribbling around the court, then try to get past me to do a lay-up or shoot inside the three-point line. You can do that much, right?"

Sakurai chuckled nervously. "W-We'll try."

 _That doesn't sound good._ "Don't worry. I just need to see what we have to work on with you guys," placated Taiga. A series of electronic beeps caught his attention and he found his best friend sitting on the bench, typing away on his phone. "Oi, Ahomine, watch. You're gonna have to teach them, too, you know," he scolded with a frown.

Aomine didn't even look up. "You're playing basketball; I'm teaching them soccer. Big difference, Bakagami."

Taiga rolled his eyes and shook his head. Maybe so, but there were still key similarities between the two, and it would be the blue-haired teen's loss if he didn't watch them play. Just like Daiki, Taiga may not be as enthusiastic in having to tutor someone, but he at least didn't want to half-ass the job.

"Kuroko, you go first." He tossed the ball to the pale blunette. Kuroko caught it easily with little fumbling, which was a good sign. As soon as Sakurai moved to the sidelines, the blue-haired pianist started walking while bouncing the ball with his right hand. It slipped out of his grasp on the fifth bounce—to which Sakurai winced at—but Taiga simply told him to continue until he completed the circuit. Eventually, the teen managed to jog around without any more problems with the ball, but the redhead noticed that his handling still wasn't the best that it could be. Taiga moved to guard him as he attempted to get near the basket.

 _Don't be aggressive. Just keep him on his toes_ , he told himself, trying not to steal the ball. All he had to do was block so he could observe how Kuroko would react to pressure. For once, he was grateful that he had had training on that. After last year's Winter Cup, Coach had assigned him to help one of his teammates in getting past guards. The trick was to pressure his teammate into finding another way to tackle the situation. Of course, in a real game, you couldn't just use that line of thinking for the opponent, so you had to give everything you've got into blocking and guarding. But since Taiga was just giving an evaluation test, there was no reason to be hard on Kuroko.

Yet.

The blunette quickly moved the ball closer to him and away from his reach. Good reaction. He could see the figurative gears moving behind the other's head as sky-blue eyes darted to and fro, trying to spot a chink on the wall Taiga had created. But Kagami wasn't just going to give him an opening. He moved towards the other, mock-reaching for the ball. Kuroko moved his arms away and headed to the opposite direction, but Taiga quickly blocked his path. Usually, this distance would already give him a strong whiff of the person's scent. But as he guessed, Kuroko smelled of nothing. The vanilla essence from last Saturday was gone and Taiga had to wonder if this teen in front of him wasn't an illusion. _Weak. He smells too weak._ It seemed like his theory _was_ correct.

As Taiga guarded Kuroko, the redhead belatedly realized how much of a disadvantage Kuroko was actually in—Sakurai, too. He was a foot taller than them and bigger in size. Of course, there were some basketball legends smaller than Kagami, but given their huge differences, the two would be hard-pressed to face him head-on.

 _But that's not the point of this_ , he berated inwardly. _You just need to give them something to overcome._ So when Kuroko finally backed away to shoot, Taiga couldn't help feeling proud—doubts of the pianist's strength notwithstanding.

He moved to block the shot, but the blunette managed to move faster.

The ball arched… and quickly fell to the asphalt ground, barely reaching half of the journey to the basket.

Kagami stared at the ball, vaguely hearing a slap and a groan coming from Sakurai. Even Aomine stopped typing. "What happened?"

The redhead looked back at the impassive Kuroko. "Uh… let's try that again."

Once more, Taiga blocked him, trying to coax a reaction to shoot or drive past him. And once more, Kuroko chose to shoot. The ball sailed into the air… and missed the goal just short of a meter up. The redheaded basketball player stared at the orange thing once again, feeling his brows scrunching down. "Um…" he voiced, uncertain. "Why don't you try shooting by the lane line?"

The blunette moved to shoot again, Taiga suddenly reluctant to try blocking. The ball arched, as it should, but it still didn't reach the basket.

"Put more power in your shot. Flick your wrist with force, but be careful," he instructed. Perhaps Kuroko was just weak with his hands—but wasn't he a piano prodigy?

Kuroko did as he was told, giving his shot an added speed. The ball arched higher and faster… but then it still completely missed the basket. Taiga could feel the start of an unpleasant emotion swirling inside him.

"Kuroko… can you please do a lay-up?"

The teen jogged towards the goal, performing a perfect jump-and-release sequence for the trick. The ball hovered in mid-air next to the basket for a split-second just teasingly so… before crashing back down to earth. The blatant lack of a scent irked the redhead's nose.

Taiga didn't even realize he was staring at Kuroko in bewilderment when a hand clapped gently on his shoulder. The redhead turned to see Sakurai wearing an apologetic smile. "Kagami-san, it's no use. Tetsuya-san really can't shoot." The brunette frowned when Kagami just looked even more bewildered. "Didn't Kazunari-san tell you this?"

At the name, Taiga jerked from his shock and quickly strode to his bag, ignoring a flabbergasted Aomine looking at his two students. He rummaged for his phone and swiftly looked for the raven-haired idol's contact number—internally grateful that the teen had insisted on exchanging numbers with them all. It took only two rings for Takao to pick up his call.

" _Yo, Kagami! What's up?"_ The voice on the other end sounded tinny, yet loud.

"What the hell does Sakurai mean that Kuroko can't shoot?!" Taiga didn't have time to feel embarrassed that he sounded scandalized and disconcerted. Takao burst into hearty laughter.

" _Oh, right! I didn't go into the details, did I?"_ He laughed even harder and Taiga couldn't find any words to say for a while, confusion and dread churning in him.

"Details? What details?"

" _Why Yuu-chan and I had a hard time teaching Tetsu-chan, of course~!"_

Taiga groaned, cradling his forehead with his free hand. "So it's true, then? Kuroko doesn't know how to shoot?"

" _Oh, he knows_ how _. The problem is that no matter how many times he practices, not a single ball goes in."_

"WHAT?!"

The redhead was surprised to find someone that sounded peculiarly like Midorima voicing the same sentiments next to Takao.

"That's impossible!" he pointed out, nearly sounding hysterical.

" _Trust me, we thought so, too. But we've been trying to teach him for nearly_ five years _now._ _Nothing. Not a single basket_ ," declared Takao grimly.

"Well then, what do you want _me_ to do? Were you hoping I could fix that?"

" _Honestly? Yeah, I was. You_ are _the basketball club's star player, after all."_

Taiga sighed, feeling drained all of a sudden. Sure, he was the famous power forward, but that didn't mean… "I can help him with his fundamentals… but I can't promise any results on his shooting. I'm not so good at in-depth coaching," he offered.

" _I'll take what I can get."_

"But you _do_ realize shooting is a part of his exam, right?" reminded Kagami, suddenly feeling worried. "How is he going to pass if he can't even shoot a ball in?"

" _Don't worry. Just let Tecchan handle it. Trust me_ ," added the raven-haired teen quickly, sensing that Kagami was going to press the subject.

Taiga didn't want to worry about Kuroko, but he did—and for once, he understood all the coaches he had had and their concern with some of his weaker, less skilled teammates. After a moment, he exhaled gustily. "… If you say so."

Takao started giving his good-byes and good-lucks when the redhead suddenly remembered another issue. "Wait! What about…" He glanced at the brunette shaking his head as Kuroko attempted another three-pointer. "Sakurai?"

" _Oh, Ryou-chan? You won't have any problems with him,"_ chuckled Takao. _"Like I said, he's decent enough in basketball, so all you need to do is strengthen his fundamentals, help him condition his body, and raise his stamina—for both of them, actually."_

Well, that sounded easy enough. But now, Taiga's learned not to trust things so easily until he could see them for himself. "You know, when you said he was bad at basketball, I wasn't expecting it to be _this_ bad."

Sensing his gaze, Sakurai and Kuroko turned to look at him—the brunette casting him a sheepish smile and the blunette slightly canting his head to the side with a blank expression.

Takao just laughed, clearly amused at his expense. _"He knows how bad he is, so try not to rub in it or else I can't guarantee that a jab to your side won't come,"_ teased the other teen, to which Taiga only grimaced at.

The redhead finally let him end the call and turned back towards the court after storing away his phone. Aomine, who had been quiet the whole time, quickly gave him a look that was both alarmed and anxious—something that almost made Taiga snort in amusement despite the situation. It wasn't like the dark-skinned soccer player to suddenly look so afraid of two lanky guys who didn't even reach past his collarbone.

_Wait, no, Akashi's an exception._

"T-Taiga…" started Aomine hesitantly, looking he wanted nothing more than to bolt. "There's no way, right? I mean, maybe Kuroko's just got weak hands…?"

"I can assure you, Aomine-kun, that piano keys are as hard as basketballs, if not more," quipped Kuroko unamusedly.

"T-Then you've at least got good legs, right?" pressed Aomine, daring to look hopeful.

"Do you mean aesthetically or physiologically? Because Momoi-san once told me that I have nice legs."

" **I'LL KICK YOU.** "

Taiga sighed and shook his head. "I told you that you needed to watch."

As Aomine continued to look horrified at the prospect of having to coach someone as inept as Kuroko, Sakurai finally stepped forward and tried to placate him. "D-Don't worry, Aomine-san! I'm okay in soccer, too, so you won't be alone in teaching him. I-I'll make sure he improves under your care!"

"Don't lie, Ryou-kun. We all know you can't score a goal to save your life," retorted the blunette flatly.

"N-Neither can you!"

Taiga rubbed his neck, watching as his friend continued to express his disbelief at Kuroko's apparent lack of skill while Sakurai was trying to diffuse his own friend's simmering need for retribution. Honestly, the redhead was in shock, too—but he quickly remembered that these two weren't the athletic type at all and thus, obviously lacked the skills needed to be really good players.

For now.

Taiga felt apprehensive at having to teach Kuroko where his friends have failed, but if there was one thing the basketball junkie loved more than the sport itself, it was a challenge. And Kagami Taiga was never one to back down from a challenge.

"Okay, okay, we've established that Kuroko can't take a shot for the life of him. Enough yapping," he ordered. "Kuroko, come here and do a shooting stance."

Surprisingly, the teen did as he was told without complaint—except maybe eye him with a sideways glance that looked a little annoyed—and held a pose with the ball between his hands.

Burgundy-red eyes scanned his form, adjusting an arm or leg when needed and stepping back once he was finished. "Alright…" murmured Taiga, pursing his lips. "As far as I can tell, your form is good—almost perfect, actually. But you still can't shoot a basket?"

In response, Kuroko jumped and released the ball. It anticlimactically dropped to a steep curve and bounced dully to the ground, missing the goal completely. "Yes," he answered after a beat, turning to Kagami with a blank—almost unamused—face.

Taiga held back a grimace. There was a lot of work to be done. "Well, your dribbling and footwork are okay, but we still have to develop them. Plus, you're almost out of breath. That's not a good sign."

Kuroko looked up at him with such exasperation in his eyes, that when he moved to open his mouth, Taiga quickly cut him off to save himself from a sharp retort. "W-We'll work on your stamina, okay!?" He turned pink at the loudness and coughed. "Hopefully, 30 minutes of jogging every day for the whole month will be enough to start a change."

Kagami didn't want to believe it, but for a moment, Kuroko seemed to pale at the statement.

"Do you think you can help Tetsuya-san with his shooting, Kagami-san?" Taiga turned to Sakurai, who looked about ready to use a pleading face with him. Despite wanting to assure the other, he didn't want to lie.

"I can't really promise anything with that," he answered with an apologetic frown, "but I _can_ promise that his other fundamentals will improve after I'm done with him."

"Atta boy, Red! Hone his skills so I won't have to worry too much," cheered Aomine with an excited grin—to which his best friend glared at.

"On second thought, I'll leave the conditioning to you."

"Oh, c'mon! Do me a favor, will ya?"

"You want Kise to owe you? Then work for it, you lazy ass."

"What about Ryou-kun, Kagami-kun?" asked Kuroko. The redhead jolted at the reminder.

"Oh, right! Sakurai, your turn!"

"Ah! I-I'm sorry!"

"Eh?! Why are you apologizing?!"

Desperate to stop the other teen's apologetic spiel, he hurried after the ball and tossed it to the brunette. Without missing a beat, Sakurai stopped in his ministrations and copied Kuroko's actions a while ago—one lap of dribbling around the court—but unlike the blue-haired Glee Club member, Sakurai didn't have any problems moving with the ball in hand. He quickly positioned himself to the other end of the court and Taiga dutifully intercepted him, hoping to all deities that Takao hadn't been lying about the brunette's skills.

When the shorter of the two tried several times to drive past him with both caution and curiosity, the basketball player almost wept in relief. Sakurai had a good grasp of the footwork and a steady grip on the ball. He was a finer polished pearl than Kuroko was, yet was still in need of improvement. But for once, Kagami wasn't feeling apprehensive about coaching him. There was finally a scent in the air—the combination of ginger and… cinnamon? Taiga blinked. That was an uncanny pairing. But it smelled subdued and aromatic. If the redhead concentrated hard enough, he could find traces of familiar spices and sweet, baking ingredients.

This was interesting. They were all blended together, meshing well with each other, but also distinctive enough for Taiga to identify. A strange scent, but one that was befitting of Sakurai. There _was_ something about the mousy teen that piqued one's curiosity.

The brown-eyed teen looked around to gauge his situation. Then, just like a snap of the finger, he took a step back and jumped, shooting the ball high up into the air. Taiga didn't have time to fully extend his blocking arm, but he quickly turned around to watch the basket. For a split-second, he was afraid to see a disappointing sight of the ball missing it yet again, so he couldn't help feeling stunned as the round, orange object not only hit the ring—it also circled it before falling in.

He didn't bother suppressing his whoop of joy.

"Nice, Sakurai!" He clapped the other's back good-naturedly, pleased to see the brunette looking proud of his success. Even Kuroko appeared happy.

"Holy shit."

The three teens turned to the navy-haired soccer player, who suddenly jumped to his feet from the bench. Aomine then levelled a stunned gaze onto Sakurai. "How the hell did you do that?"

Taiga quirked an eyebrow and smirked. "By shooting, idiot."

But Daiki just shook his head. "No, I meant, how did you release the ball so quickly like that? I've never seen anyone take a shot that fast and _still_ land a three-pointer!"

Now stunned himself, the redhead turned to stare at Sakurai, as well. The teen only blushed and stuttered another out-of-place apology.

"He was super-fast, I tell ya! As soon as he jumped, he shot the ball! I didn't even see him taking a stance!" explained Aomine further, complete with wild hand gestures.

 _Come to think of it, I didn't even get to raise my arm…_ thought Taiga, recalling the blurry moment in his mind.

"What I lack in shooting, Ryou-kun more than makes up for with his quick releases," quipped Kuroko, smiling lightly at his friend.

"I-It's not really a skill, exactly!" said Sakurai, waving his hands dismissively. When Kagami looked at him expectantly, he mumbled, "I-I just don't like getting blocked, so I tend to shoot earlier than most… I-I'm sorry!"

Taiga smiled wryly. "I'm not really sure why you're apologizing about your shooting skills when it's actually a good thing."

"S-Sorry! It's… a habit… I'm really sorry!"

Kuroko moved to rub circles on Sakurai's back, relaxing the other teen into silence. "Please excuse him. He tends to do that when his nerves get frazzled or excited around strangers. He'll get better after a while with you two."

"I sure hope so. Otherwise, we're gonna have a problem once I'm teaching you how to score goals," remarked Aomine, reclining in his seat and shooting Sakurai a wry glance.

"Well, anyway," cut off Taiga, "Let's do it one more time, Sakurai. You get two more tries."

The next two face-offs went far better than the redhead could have hoped. Granted, Sakurai only managed to score once after that—his second attempt at shooting derailed as Taiga's pressure disrupted his shot—but so far, the teen displayed promising potential at being a good player.

Taiga was finally starting to have a good feeling about his temporary job.

After a few more minutes of the sun setting deeper into the horizon, the group all sat on the benches as Taiga checked his phone. "Okay, we're gonna have to set up a schedule for this," he declared, pondering over his digital calendar. "We can't train on weekdays since your club practices will last until 8 in the evening, right?"

Kuroko nodded. "We have two months to prepare for the June fundraiser concert, so our practice time will be consumed to the limit. Hyuga-senpai is only letting us off this week because there were problems with the paperwork and he needs to personally fix it." The blunette could remember how visibly pissed off their president was as he muttered about delays and excuses during their practice today. There was no doubt of who was to blame in the situation, as much as it made Kuroko uncomfortable to even think about.

"And then we have the end of April to factor in," added Kagami. "Once May rolls in, Aomine and I will be back in our teams, so we can't train as much with you either. You're gonna have to do conditioning on your own in your free time."

"We could join Yukio-san whenever he jogs," pitched in Sakurai, taking out his own phone.

"Yeah, do that," agreed Taiga. "But for your training, we're gonna have to do it on the weekends. Until what time is your practice on Saturdays?"

"12 noon. It might get extended, though."

"That's okay. It happens to us, too. We'll have to adjust come May."

Beeping noises soon followed and several boxes on Taiga's calendar were marked with _"Train Kuroko and Sakurai"_ —some having the note of _"Get Blue to come watch. Use blackmail if necessary. Ask Momoi."_ The redheaded teen wasn't all that good with dates and appointments, so he made it a habit of jotting down important stuff to do, after barely missing one of his dad's big shows and forgetting a street court match in LA. Tatsuya had never him live that one down.

Burgundy-red eyes blinked as the name flitted in his mind. An idea suddenly sparked to life.

"Okay… so we'll train on Saturdays after your club practice," he said first slowly, still mulling the idea over. "Maybe until 6?" When the two idols nodded, he typed some more. "We can do Sundays, too, if you'd like. Maybe in the morning, until 12."

"We don't usually have stuff to do on Sundays anyway, so I guess we can schedule it in," replied Sakurai. "If anything comes up, we'll just let you know."

"Oi, I can't come with you all the time, alright?" interrupted Aomine, lounging on his seat. "I still need to practice while I'm away from the club."

Sakurai smiled sympathetically. "It's alright, Aomine-san. We understand. We're only studying basketball for now, anyway."

Aomine only grunted in satisfaction. Marking the dates, Taiga let his thumb hover over the black and red phone, humming in thought. It sounded like a good idea, but then there were complications and other factors to consider and overall, his brother's opinion to know.

"Is everything alright, Kagami-san?"

Taiga looked up to see Sakurai frowning in concern. "Ah, yeah! Yeah. Just, uh… was thinking of something. That maybe… it could help Kuroko…"

Said pale blunette looked up in curiosity. "You believe it could help?"

Taiga shrugged. "I think he can do something about your shooting skills, at least."

"He?" voiced the brunette and blunette in unison.

Aomine shifted his gaze onto Kagami's, eyes slightly narrowing. "Tai…"

Uncharacteristically, the redhead timidly glanced at the navy-haired teen. "You think Tatsuya can do it?"

Ignoring Sakurai and Kuroko's baffled looks, Taiga opted to watch Daiki's reaction carefully. He wasn't too sure of his idea, so he needed another opinion on the matter—one that was as close to it as he could be.

Daiki appeared somber for a moment, before flicking him a serious expression. "I think he can help," he replied slowly and lowly. "But honestly, I don't think it's a good idea. You'll need to have a long talk with him about it if you really want it, though. And besides…" The blue-eyed teen looked away, muttering so softly that only Taiga could decipher it. "Is he even allowed to play?"

The comment struck Taiga like he knew it would, and he suddenly felt bad just conceiving the idea. Of course it wasn't going to be that easy. There were a lot of things to consider—one of which would be his brother's feelings on the subject. He should never be so callous and cold about it. Despite his love for the sport, Tatsuya might not even want to help him coach two scrawny teenagers in basketball.

"Um, are you talking about Himuro-san?"

Kagami and Aomine turned to face Sakurai so fast that the mousy brunette almost squeaked in surprise.

"You know him?" asked Taiga, surprised himself.

"Y-Yes, I'm s-sorry," stuttered the chocolate-eyed teen. "I used to be in the Drama Club, after all..."

At the remark, Taiga could almost swear that Daiki wanted to slap his forehead. He did, too. Of course! How the fuck could he have forgotten?!

_Seriously, how the fuck?! Of course he would know Tatsuya!_

"So you guys are close, then?" asked the redhead, though he doubted that was the case. If they were, he would've met Sakurai a long time ago.

Shaking his head, the brunette confirmed his thoughts. "Just acquaintances. I can't really say that we're friends or something like that. I'm mostly doing work in the background while Himuro-san always gets a front-line role in the production number. Though hopefully this year, he won't just be a side character anymore. Hyuga-senpai had high hopes that he'll bag a leading role someday," said Sakurai, smiling.

Taiga had been hoping, too. His surrogate brother was a great actor and he has the face to go with it. The only reason why Tatsuya was still the sidekick, rival, or villain in any Kiseki no Sedai play was because Kasamatsu was right and the Drama Club _was_ corrupted from within. They would always be hearing from the olive-eyed male about how the richer students would get to play the main characters and the less-fortunate ones would need to fight for the roles they wanted. His brother was lucky enough to get by with his adoring fans—who only bother to watch the club's shows because he was going to be in them.

"How did you know I was talking about him?" he asked.

Sakurai offered him a sad smile. "I'm sorry. We all know that he used to play basketball. And everyone in school knows that you two are very close."

The brunette's expression confirmed Taiga's suspicion. It shouldn't have been surprising to know that the entire school was aware of who Tatsuya had been before they transferred here. It was already one year.

"Yeah, well… He's pretty good," he said, annoyed that it came off as lame-sounding rather than proud. "Maybe he can teach Kuroko better than I can."

The aforementioned teen stared at him for several moments, effectively unnerving him, before he finally spoke up. "I was going to reassure you that you'll do just fine…" said Kuroko, "but then I remembered who you are."

"Ha?! The hell does that mean?!"

"N-Now, now!" interjected Sakurai hastily. "R-Regardless of whether Himuro-san helps out or not, we still need to meet up every weekend to train. R-Right, Kagami-san?"

The redhead growled in irritation before looking away. "Yeah," he grunted. He could see Kuroko's powder-blue eyes sparkling in the dimness of the court, and the sight made a vein on his forehead tick angrily. Oh, he was so going to make the little shit regret his life choices.

"It's getting late. We should go. You said today was just an evaluation, right?" said Aomine, yawning. Taiga looked up to find the sky almost dark blue and a few stars twinkling above them. "Yeah. We'll play for real on Saturday," he confirmed. And with that, the four boys packed up and headed back out onto the streets.

As his best friend chatted with the other two about good burger joints around the area, the redhead looked back on the court. He could still hear the buzzing of the cicadas, the squeaking and grinding of rubber shoes against the pavement, and the flawless swish of the basket as a pale hand deftly flicked and released the ball—his signature move glimmering for the untrained eye. Taiga's eyes blinked and the memory faded, leaving behind only the image of the empty, desolate place.

The redhead sighed. He was starting to miss his older brother.

 

* * *

 

Walking down the street, Takao idly wondered why he was all alone again on such a fine Wednesday afternoon. There was always something about Wednesdays that made the raven-haired teen seek solitude. He didn't know why that was, but even after meeting new people, the routine hadn't changed. There were some Wednesdays where he had company, but mostly, it was a day for himself—a day where the feeling of loneliness didn't bother him as much on other days.

 _I bet Midorima's happy today,_ snickered Kazunari inwardly.

Today went well for "Operation: Make KiKasa Ship Canon." This time, Tetsu-chan and Ryou-chan accompanied Kise and Yukio on the way to school. The two lovebirds were getting to know each other more and more, and Yukio was kicking Kise more often now. Of course, that sounded like battery, but it was the steel blue-eyed teen's way of showing his affection, so Kazunari wasn't too worried. He knew for a fact that the guy wasn't all that serious about it anyway. None of his kicks ever bruised.

They hung out in lunch break again—with Kawahara, Fukuda, and Furihata of the Music Club this time—and now, his three best friends were all together back at the school while Kise's back to hanging out with his own BFFs to throw off Yuu-chan. So far, Yukio didn't seem suspicious in the least, but Kazunari knew it was just a matter of time before he caught on. The Taekwondo kickboxer wasn't stupid, after all. Hopefully by then, Kazunari wouldn't be in too much trouble and the KiKasa ship would be well on its way.

And honestly, he was really proud of that operation and couple name. It came to him by stroke of pure genius.

The only lamentation he had today was that Midorima Shintarou wasn't around for him to tease. He figured he'd let the guy off today after his incessant pestering yesterday afternoon. But they separated on somewhat amiable terms, at least—if the green-haired male's idea of "amiable" was lecturing him about the finer points of zodiac signs, that is.

But no, being alone was okay today. Wednesday was his day.

Kazunari searched his pocket, pulling out a piece of folded paper. It contained the list of groceries he needed to buy today. Fortunately, he would only have to lug around dry goods. Spotting the supermarket, he hurried his pace, eager to finish the chore and go home for another session of video games. He was lucky that they were being dismissed early this whole week. Usually, the gang would be shopping along with him in the evening after their practices. Finally, he would be able to finish Noiz's good and bad endings tonight!

He quickly claimed a cart and started combing the aisles by order. There was always something so relaxing about shopping alone. He got to set the pace of his strolls and be able to linger a little while longer to check out new products. When he was with his friends, there was little time to dawdle. But here, Kazunari could think and ponder as he meticulously checked off each item he needed. Sure, he was in a little hurry, but it wasn't much of a rush that he couldn't slow his steps down. Thankfully, the supermarket was mildly filled with grocery shoppers right now.

After a while, he was already calculating how much he was going to pay. There were a few extra items he took out of whim that weren't in the list, but that was okay. The important thing was that he wouldn't exceed his budget. It had become a good habit these past few years: taking care to handle his money responsibly by calculating his expenses. He couldn't just waste yen left and right—not while he was still in high school and depending on an allowance to get by every day. Then again, he does work as a freelancing beta-tester for games, so that brings in a lot of extra cash, but it wasn't enough to be called a paying job. He could only use that for his bills, not for his tuition fee.

 _As soon as I graduate, I'll be paying for_ everything _and won't ever owe anyone a single yen_ , he vowed silently and firmly like he always did whenever the clerk scanned his items. He knew it would take a lot of work and a lot of days being frugal and saving up, but Kazunari was determined to be independent come college. There was no way he was going to use any more of _his_ money for that.

Finishing up, he quickly exited the store and got back on the road. The district he was in was filled with old shops managed by old people. There was the antique furniture store on the corner and the old sweets shop next to the barber's. Further along the street was a pet shop selling more aquatic animals than terrestrial ones, and the newly-renovated bicycle store. Here, Kazunari felt the stirrings of the past. It was one of his favorite places to walk through at this time of the day. With the setting sun casting vibrant orange hues and dark shadows upon every available surface, the world seemed so small and cozy with the distant chatter of the city in the background—like reality wasn't as harsh and he didn't have to go home wondering how to best allocate his earnings for next week.

He was so lost in his musings that when a sudden clamor broke the silence behind him, it startled Kazunari so much that he almost dropped the bag containing his eggs. Alarmed, he turned back to the intersection he just passed, having heard the sound of a crash, a scream, a loud and pained cry, and an indignant yelp behind him and saw, to his astonishment, three people groaning on the ground with a bent bicycle lying on its side.

Kazunari didn't really know what he had expected to find among the three and their scattered belongings. But by god, it sure wasn't supposed to be the horoscope-obsessed stick-in-the-mud.

"M-Midorima?!"

Hearing his name, Shintarou snapped his gaze up in surprise—the emotion morphing to confusion at the somewhat-blurry sight, before he found his errant glasses and it morphed into utter bewilderment when he recognized who the student staring at him actually was. What was Takao doing here? Out of habit, he tried to straighten himself up, but pain suddenly blossomed on his foot and he had to brace himself on the floor with a hiss.

"Oi, are you okay? What the hell happened?!" asked Takao worriedly, hurrying towards him and the other two. Gingerly, he placed his groceries and school bag down a safe distance away and darted forward to help the middle-aged woman lying on the ground.

Shintarou glared at the grade-schooler lying beside them. "This brat went careening from out of nowhere and shot out of his bicycle. We had to jump out of the way to avoid a collision."

The kid, messy-haired and dirty in his uniform, slowly sat up and flinched when he moved his leg. "O-Ow…" he moaned, and tears suddenly sprang to his eyes when he caught sight of the bright red on his knee.

The sight jostled Midorima out of his anger, and seeing the child holding back his emotions made him feel slightly guilty. But a far more pressing concern clawed its way out of him when he realized who had been with him. He turned to the woman in Takao's arms, fear overriding any other emotion he might've had at Takao's presence. "Mom!" he called out, hobbling over to the two as the raven-haired teen helped ease her up.

He couldn't fault Takao's utter shock at his outburst. "'Mom'?!" But thankfully, the noise prompted a reaction from the silent figure, her brown-colored lashes fluttering open until her green gaze focused enough on the two teens hovering over her. "Shi… Shintarou…?" At the name, the green-haired archer reached out for her, gently taking her from the stunned Takao's arms and cradling her against his chest as he checked for any injuries.

"Mother, are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asked worriedly, trying to keep the woman awake in case she suffered a concussion. He carefully spread her eyelids apart, observing any unnaturalness to her eyes. If anything bad happened to his mother, there would be hell to pay.

And not just from his father.

Meanwhile, Takao sat on his hind legs beside them, staring at the two in astonishment. First, he finds himself shocked that Midorima was right behind him and had just gotten caught in a road accident. And now, he finds out that the archer's mother was _right there in his arms and being coddled by the stiff-necked student_. Could this day get any more surprising?

He heard a small whimper and found the little boy trying to get up. "Ah, hey!" cried Kazunari, motioning the kid to stay still. "Hang on, let me…" As he looked for a makeshift bandage for the child's injury, Midorima uncharacteristically let out an expletive. Kazunari turned to him and found him staring anxiously at the small trail of blood on his mother's temple.

"Shit…" hissed the silvery-eyed teen, grimacing.

"What… happened…?" mumbled Mrs. Midorima weakly, trying to sit up. She noticed the little boy and his bloody knee, and her features suddenly turned worried. "Is he… okay?" she said, moving away from Midorima. But her son wouldn't allow it and murmured reassuringly that everything was fine. Kazunari would've sat staring at the scene forever had the owner of the sweets shop in front of them not hurried to their group and checked on the mother and son.

"Oh dear…" whispered the elderly man in concern, seeing the blood on Mrs. Midorima and the injured kid next to them. He knelt to touch Midorima on the back and checked his mother for any more blood. "We should get you to the hospital quickly! I'll call an ambulance."

"You don't have a car?" asked Midorima. But the man only shook his head, further inciting his panic. His mother didn't seem too badly beaten up, but the sooner they could diagnose her properly, the better.

"Wait!" Shintarou snapped his gaze back to Takao, seeing the teen turn his head left and right as if looking for something. After a beat, he inhaled deeply and quickly got up, darting to fetch his bag. "The hospital's nearby. It'll be faster if I take you there myself!"

"With what?!" yelled Shintarou in incredulity. He couldn't keep the panicked tone from escaping him. He needed to calm down. His mother was injured and possibly concussed—he had to be logical and calm for her sake.

But despite his will, he couldn't stop his hands from going cold and start shaking. The pain in his ankle was unbearable and he knew he couldn't run to the hospital carrying her. He needed help himself.

Takao came back and hurriedly rummaged through his bag, taking out the t-shirt he wore to practice and his long-sleeved school shirt. "Do you know first aid?" he asked as he folded the clothes.

Shintarou blurted out a positive reply, wrestling with his growing anxiety and guilt. Takao quickly gave him one of the shirts and the other to the elderly man, along with two small face towels. "Patch them up quickly, then! I'll be right back!"

He took off in surprising speed towards the end of the street. When he reached about six meters away, Shintarou quickly remembered what he was supposed to be doing and berated himself for dazing about. _Now is not the time to daydream!_ He swiftly laid down his mother and folded the shirt accordingly for a head wrap. While working, he noticed that the old shop owner had knelt beside the little kid, but he didn't know how to patch the wound up and thus, tittered uncertainly with the other shirt.

Shintarou sighed. He didn't really want to have to deal with this, but…

"Sir, I'll do it. In the meantime, please watch over my mother."

Eager to do something useful, the old man hobbled over to them, gave him the shirt, and stayed by his mom's side. A kind-hearted passer-by decided to fan his mother's face and the two strangers talked to her, making sure to keep her awake.

Turning back to the grade-schooler, Shintarou gritted his teeth and gingerly crawled to him. The teary-eyed child silently watched him as he quickly did a makeshift bandage. "I'm… s-sorry…" he sniffed, ducking his face red with shame.

"You can apologize later once you're properly patched up," murmured Shintarou softly but sternly. As much as he wanted to be angry with the child and chastise him, they weren't in any condition to do that. The two needed medical attention right away. Moving closer, he peered over the bleeding wound in the disappearing sunlight. It didn't look too deep—probably just a skinned knee. Bandage ready, he helped the child move his leg up so it could be applied. Taking one of Takao's face towels, he folded it into a small padding and pressed it against the wound. The boy winced in pain and whimpered, but he didn't move to stop Shintarou. Good. He wasn't fussy like most children. The green-haired teen quickly and expertly tied the shirt and secured the padding—gently, almost fatherly—around his knee, making sure that it was tight yet comfortable.

A bicycle bell sounded off and Shintarou looked up, startled to see Takao back and riding on a bike. He hit the brake, maneuvering the contraption so that it faced the direction of where it came from. Shintarou felt his jaw drop when he saw what was attached to the vehicle.

"I-Is that what I think it is…?"

"It is what it is!" snapped Takao impatiently, hopping off the seat and jogging towards them.

"Where on earth did you even get that thing?!"

"From the bike shop over there, now shut up and get on!"

Shintarou frowned. "What—"

"You need to support your mom on the cart, so hurry up!" Takao lifted his arm, prompting him to stand up, but the action only strained his foot and Shintarou had to brace himself against the smaller teen.

"O-Oi!" Takao stared at him, confused and shocked as to why his face was contorted in pain, before he stared down at Shintarou's feet. "Did… Did you sprain your ankle or something?"

Shintarou clenched his jaw. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not! We need to get you help, too!" Takao tucked an arm over him and supported the taller boy towards the rickshaw, but Midorima tried to walk on his own.

"No, you need to get my mother and the boy—"

Suddenly, the raven-haired idol sharply glared at him with such disapproval that Shintarou couldn't help stiffening in place. "Get on the cart, Shin-chan, or so help me, I will _drag_ you all the way to the hospital."

Threat laced with steel, the green-haired archer was struck helpless and silent as he grudgingly let Takao assist him on the cart while they minded not to jostle his wounded foot. He didn't know how to argue back against the intense look Takao had on his face right now. But he also couldn't help finding himself curious as he watched the other teen help carry his mother to his seat with the old man's help and gently carry the little boy, as well—placing him beside them. He was wearing such a compassionate expression at the moment that, for a minute, Shintarou forgot who he actually was.

"All set?" Kazunari asked Midorima as he hopped onto the bicycle seat.

"Wait, wait!" The old man had disappeared into his shop while they were getting ready to leave and had come back out with a plastic of ice. He took the remaining face towel and wrapped it up, pressing it gently against Midorima's injured ankle. "Sprains need to be treated quickly or they might swell! That, at least, I know."

The bespectacled student smiled tightly at him, gritting against the cold and the pain when he pressed his unwounded foot against his wounded one further to secure the towel in place. "Thank you."

The old man smiled back, nodding. Kazunari inclined his head back at him in gratitude. "Ready?"

When the archer nodded tersely at him, he started pedaling while standing up. "Hang on!" The shop owner and kind lady passer-by pushed the cart behind, giving the rickshaw an added boost and helping him with his load of three passengers. "Can you watch over my stuff, mister?" Kazunari shouted over his shoulder.

"I will!" yelled the old man back, waving his arms. "Take care now!"

"We will!" Waving back, he pedaled even faster and watched the streets carefully. The buildings and houses all blurred together as they swiftly passed by them, the wind faintly roaring in their ears.

Squinting against the dusk's glare and the stinging wind, Shintarou shouted to Takao, "How far is the hospital?"

"Just a few more streets down this road!" he replied, darting past people and bicycles with his bell and cycling skills. Kazunari was overtly grateful that the street wasn't jammed with passers-by this time of the day. It would hopefully cut their trip in half. Slowing down and stopping for a red light, Kazunari looked back to check on his passengers. The kid was doing okay—no longer crying, but looking worriedly at the middle-aged woman beside him in her son's arms. Midorima, on the other hand, looked calm and composed. But the grip he had on the handkerchief he was pressing against his mother's head was white-knuckled and rigid.

It was strange watching the two together. Midorima looked absolutely nothing like his mom—the brown-haired woman so small and lithe while sprawled on top of him greatly exaggerating his longer form. Yet honestly, Midorima looked nothing like _Midorima_ right now. The ever-scowling Oha-Asa fanboy was gone without a trace, and in his place was an obviously-distraught son cradling his mother protectively.

"Are you okay now…?" he heard the woman ask once the light turned green.

"Y-Yes…" stuttered the little boy with some weak sniffing. "H-How about you, ma'am?"

"Mmm… a bit dizzy," she said, and Kazunari could actually picture her sheepishly smiling. Somehow, the image fit her.

"Don't fall asleep, Mother," warned her son, and Kazunari almost rolled his eyes. _There_ was the tight-lipped Midorima he'd come to know. A quick glance behind showed him the sight of the emerald-eyed teen gazing at the passing scenery—but his grip on his mother never once faltered in the face of Kazunari's sharp turns and accelerating speed. Somehow, that calmed him.

"I know…" replied the older woman, sounding amused.

"I-I'm… so—" The kid hiccupped, then fell silent. But faint whimpers could still be heard.

Then, Kazunari heard a breathy chuckle once he slowed down to turn. "I'm just glad you're okay."

His grip on the handlebar briefly tightened as the child tried to smother a sob.

_"I'm just glad you're okay."_

Kazunari inhaled deeply, briefly glanced at the sky, and sighed in exhaustion. When he had wished for Wednesday afternoon funtimes, he did not mean discovering more about Midorima Shintarou. Nor did he mean borrowing an ancient-looking rickshaw to deliver three heavy patients to the hospital.

_Curse my weakness for old ladies and their sons._

The ride to the nearby hospital ended as quickly as it had begun, and Takao was already carrying the wounded little boy and rushing him towards the entrance before Shintarou could fully move out from underneath his mother. Not long after, two paramedics with a wheeled stretcher in tow swiftly approached them—one of whom he was familiar with.

"Midorima-kun, what happened?" said the man in surprise, carefully taking his mother's upper body while his partner took the other end after a quick injury check.

"A child lost control of his bicycle and we were caught in the fray," answered Shintarou, helping them ease his mom on the gurney. She was still awake, but kept drifting in and out of consciousness. "Fortunately, the bike hadn't collided with us, but Mother hit her head somewhere when I pushed her out of the way." Shintarou felt a lump in his throat and he did his best to swallow it. "She… may have sustained a head trauma."

Securing the patient in place, the paramedic smiled reassuringly at him, clapping his shoulder. "Sensei's in a meeting right now, but we'll get her diagnosed as soon as possible."

Shintarou nodded. "Thank you."

Suddenly, the entrance doors opened and Takao came barrelling outside towards them. When he found the archer still on the cart, he let out a noise of indignation. "What the hell are you still doing in there?! Get out! We need to admit you!"

The older man frowned in confusion. "Did you get injured, too?"

Shintarou opened his mouth to reply, but he was cut off as Takao tucked himself under his arm, supported his waist, and urged him to get off the rickshaw. "His ankle's been sprained and he may have also hit his head," answered the silver blue-eyed teen for him.

"I did not," denied Shintarou with a frown.

"Well, then why are you dawdling around when you know you have an injury that needs to be treated?" retorted Takao with an amused smirk.

Shintarou could only scowl and turn away. He had a point. Usually, he would've been right behind his mother and already prodding the attendants to rush her into an evaluation room. Hell, he would've beaten Takao to the doors while carrying her—sprained ankle or no sprained ankle. But he felt out of his body, as if the scenes were playing and he was just going with the flow. He had been desperately trying to rein in his panic for the last few minutes, but it turns out he wasn't as good with controlling his emotions as he originally thought. The mere sight of his beloved mother pale and quiet—a stark contrast to the animated and lively woman who had raised him—had been such a blow to his heart that he had to collect his runaway senses just to function properly.

The fear striking in that moment when the bike hurtled towards her in such frightening speed…

"C'mon," prodded Takao, pushing him gently to keep him moving. Shintarou snapped out of his reverie, realizing that he had gone tense. Sighing quietly, he let the other teen lead him inside. He was in no mood to argue any further with him.

They decided to leave the ice pack behind and opted to gingerly walk as Shintarou limped on one foot awkwardly. His mother reached out for him as they passed the two. "Be a good boy, Shin. I'll see you later, okay?" she whispered with a soft smile.

Despite his chagrin at having to depend on Takao, despite the presence of other people, despite his fears and worries about his mother's condition, Shintarou couldn't help returning the smile as he squeezed her hand in response. "Okay."

Soon enough—after getting a wheelchair, being admitted as a patient, and getting an x-ray—he was finally seated on a bed and waiting for a nurse. The bed next to him had the little boy as its occupant, and much to Shintarou's relief, the bandaged knee was now properly patched up. He had several other scrapes on him and they had been cleaned and sterilized, as well. Shintarou had been half-worried that his work had been sloppy due to the dizzying turn of events.

"How are you feeling, kiddo?" asked Takao with a grin, sitting next to the messy-haired child.

The boy, finally calm, smiled timidly at him. "O-Okay…"

"For a second, I was worried back there. If you don't mind telling me, what exactly happened?" inquired Takao politely, leaning back on his arms. "How did you crash on the bike?"

Shintarou raised a brow at the blunt questioning, but Takao ignored him. Suddenly, looking down at his clasped hands, the child said in a guilty voice, "I was learning how to ride it."

Takao cocked his head. "With no one to watch over you?" he prompted carefully. Caught, the kid glanced at him and nodded, shame swirling in his dark eyes. The raven-haired teen hummed in understanding, nodding his head. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "But where are your parents? Guardians? Has anyone called them yet?"

"One of the nurses did," the kid answered.

"That's good," said Takao, smiling at him and patting his head. "I guess I don't have to tell you that it's not your fault, but what you did still wasn't a good idea, huh?"

To his credit, the boy smiled sheepishly, realizing that he was being spared a lecture. He shook his head. But then he suddenly bowed to Shintarou. "I-I'm really sorry, mister! I-I didn't mean to get you and your mom into trouble!"

Kazunari watched in rapt attention as Midorima promptly cleared his throat and adjusted his scratched glasses before replying. "My mother has already forgiven you, so there is no need."

The raven-haired idol snickered and shot him a wry grin. Is he really this formal all the time? "He's asking for _yours_ , Shin-chan," he explained when the boy still looked anxiously at the taller teen.

Midorima appeared surprised, before surreptitiously glancing away. "Well… Takao is right. It was an accident. The important thing is that you'll learn from your mistakes. Besides," and here, the green-haired archer glanced back at the child with some semblance of pity in his eyes. "I gather your parents will be scolding you enough for all of us. No need for me to patronize you any further."

Kazunari's eyebrows shot up. He hadn't been expecting that. The emerald-eyed teen seemed like the perfect type of nagger who'll yap a person's ears off with their constant rebuffs and lectures.

The grade-schooler flinched, knowing all too well what was to come, but he gradually smiled in relief as the bespectacled guy somewhat accepted his apology.

"Mikoto-kun, you need to drink this." Suddenly, a nurse came in carrying a tray of water and a bottle of medicine. Switching to Midorima's bed, Takao nodded at her then pulled the curtain dividers shut. "Get some rest, kiddo," said Kazunari softly to little Mikoto.

Finally alone, the two teenagers stayed quiet, listening in to the nurse's instructions and motherly concern for the boy as he took his medicine. Midorima was lounging like a bedridden patient—his ice-packed foot safe on the mattress—and so Takao took care not to jostle too much as he half-sat next to his hip.

The raven-haired male glanced at his companion. Midorima had other small scrapes and cuts on him so they had to be treated as well. It left the other's face littered with a stray bandage here and there and a bit of blood smeared on his uniform, and Kazunari had to suppress a grin as he suddenly imagined the teen to be a scary-faced delinquent of some sort.

 _Nah. More like a clumsy nerd,_ he snickered.

Midorima frowned at him. "What seems to be funny?"

Kazunari just shook his head, still chuckling. "Were you the one who patched him up while I got the rickshaw?" he asked.

"The elderly man didn't know how to do it, so yes," answered Midorima offhandedly.

"Nice work on the bandage," complimented Kazunari, making small talk.

Midorima adjusted his glasses. "Of course. I had first aid training."

Suddenly, Mikoto's nurse left the obscured bed with her tray. Spotting the two, she gave them a rather proud smile. "You did a good job, Midorima-kun."

Kazunari felt the body behind him tense up, before Midorima cleared his throat. "Thank you," he said, sounding embarrassed. Kazunari didn't know what was more surprising: the fact that he sounded embarrassed or that this was another show of gratitude he's heard from the guy in just the span of an hour.

He would've marveled at that forever had the nurse not continued with the words that were the most shocking revelation of all today.

"Don't worry about Nanako-san. Your father is personally attending to her right now. I'm sure she'll be just fine," reassured the kind nurse. From the corner of his peripheral vision, Kazunari could see Midorima quickly glancing at him before replying to the woman.

The message had a lot of connotations to decipher, but it was easy to narrow the list down with someone like Kazunari, who was sharp and quickly remembered the vague signs that had passed him earlier.

The paramedic spoke familiarly with Midorima.

The nurses in the admittance lobby had all displayed shock at seeing Midorima, despite being used to similar scenarios.

The radiologist had inquired after the entire story of what happened to Midorima and his mother in such casualness.

And the whole time, the emerald-eyed boy acted as if this was _his_ neighborhood.

There were still a lot of variables to know and exclusions to add, but with the way the green-haired teen currently conversed with this hospital employee, there were only a few general conclusions to come to.

 _Oh look, I'm playing Detective Conan again_ , mused Kazunari.

"I'll fetch you some painkillers, alright?" Finished, the nurse left them all alone again—with the curtain hiding them from the resting Mikoto and the awkward silence between them. Shintarou peeked in Takao's direction, wondering if the teen had figured it out. It wasn't too hard, really—what with the entire hospital treating him like royalty.

It was one of the reasons Shintarou rarely visited the place and any other like it.

Takao cocked his head, giving him a wry smile. "First aid training, huh?"

Shintarou sighed quietly, straightening his glasses as he looked away and mulling over the knowing tone. So he wasn't wholly stupid, after all. "It's absolutely necessary when your parent is a doctor."

He didn't really know what he was waiting for. Perhaps a silly declaration of "I knew it!" or maybe just a "What?!" from the other. That was what Kise, Aomine, and Kagami had done when they found out.

"What's his field?"

Suddenly, Shintarou's brows scrunched down. He turned to Takao.

The teen just raised his eyebrow. "You know. His specialty."

"I know what you mean," snapped the archer impatiently.

"Then?"

"I'm surprised to see you want to know that."

Kazunari gave him an unamused look. "Well, I've been getting unwanted information about you for the past hour, so I might as well go all the way, don't cha think?"

 _Honestly, I'm learning more about you in a day than I did when I was trying to be friends with Yukio. It's ridiculous_ , muttered the school idol inwardly, annoyed that his Wednesday turned to this. He never wanted to encounter Midorima on _his_ day, at all.

To his secret delight, Midorima found the comment offensive and frowned even more as he closed his eyes in aggravation. "Believe me, I don't want you to find out either."

"Well, you better not blame it on me! I, for one, never imagined that I'd have to rescue you back there—and definitely not this soon in our friendship."

"As I recall, you don't have any grand plans of befriending me," retorted the bespectacled teen with a scoff.

"Well, I'm gonna have to now. Our meeting back there was like fate, and it's telling me that I have to stick close to you or you'll get mauled by a bicycle again. Isn't that what Oha-Asa advocates? To listen to fate?" teased Kazunari. Honestly, the guy was making it too easy.

Midorima narrowed his eyes disapprovingly, irked that the silvery-eyed monkey managed to use horoscopes in his argument. "I believe I would land in trouble far more often if you're around, so no thank you. And no, I did not get mauled by a bicycle—I tripped on my feet."

It irked him even more when the idiot just laughed. Of course he would laugh. His statement was hilarious when one thought about it. But was everything really a joke to him?

"Isn't tripping on your feet even more embarrassing?" said Takao, wiping away a tear. "But man, you sure are straightforward, Shin-chan. I like that." He smiled good-naturedly at Midorima, who only frowned.

"What were you and your mom doing back there, anyway?"

Shintarou glanced at him. It was truly strange how, of all people, Takao had to be the one to help them. "I was accompanying her to the furniture store, since I was going to buy lucky items for my sister and I."

He saw the other's eyes widen in surprise, but Takao didn't voice his thoughts on gaining another tidbit of information regarding Shintarou's life.

But then, Shintarou couldn't help clicking his tongue in irritation as he thought of luck.

"It was an accident. There was nothing more you could've done aside from what you did," placated Kazunari, knowing that guilty look all too well and having a faint idea of what the other was thinking at the moment.

"I told her she needed lucky items. I should've bought one as soon I realized she left hers at home," muttered Midorima quietly, as if berating himself for his mother's injury.

Kazunari raised a brow. "You're going to blame it on lucky items?"

"If she had hers, she wouldn't be here!" he hissed.

"Well, did you forget yours?" asked Kazunari with a scoff, not stopping his brow from assuming its customary angle when he was feeling unimpressed. "Because as far as I know, you're here, too."

That at least got Midorima to shut up. He frowned and looked away, not knowing how to counter that. "And you?" the green-haired teen asked. "What were you doing there?"

"Was on my way home after buying groceries," answered Takao cheerfully, not minding the change of the subject. Then he shot up out of the bed in shock. "Oh, crap! My groceries! I need to get them back from the old grandpa!"

"Didn't you ask him to watch over it?" reminded Shintarou, quizzically eyeing the teen.

"Yeah, but how long have I been here?" asked Takao, alarmed. At the question, Shintarou found himself surprised, and it was only then that he realized that the raven-haired idol had actually been with him the whole time he was here. He could've just left once Shintarou had been given a wheelchair, but Takao had stayed.

Why?

"I should go," said Takao, pointing a thumb in a general direction behind him. Then the raven-haired idol paused and shot him a concerned face. "You gonna be alright on your own?"

Shintarou blinked, not expecting the question. "I… will be fine."

Takao hummed in thought. "Alright then. The doc said your ankle's gonna be okay, right?"

"Yes. I just need to rest it tonight." Fortunately, the sprain hadn't been too bad and all it needed was a cold compress. He should visit the old sweets shop owner, as well.

Takao nodded, moving to leave. "Tell me as soon they say your mom is alright."

Shintarou nodded in return. He knew his mother would want to personally thank the raven-haired teen for what he did. As he watched the idol walk away, his eyes widened in sudden realization. "Takao!"

Takao started at the loudness, looking back at him in surprise. It was strangely funny how surprise and shock showed up several times in their afternoon.

Shintarou pursed his lips. For a moment, he felt no irritation for this young man's presence—merely relief. And that, in itself, was wondrous.

"Thank you."

Takao stared at him—long enough that Shintarou started to squirm under the scrutiny and fought not to show it—before he smiled and waved. "You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

The green-haired archer watched his back as he exited the room. Confusion bubbled up as consternation swirled inside him.

 

* * *

 

Midorima stared hard at the doors to the Glee Club's dance studio.

Kise, the ever-bubbly one, peered over him and frowned. "Midorimacchi, don't you think you've stalled long enough?"

Shintarou scowled. "Shut up, Kise."

It was already the next day and his ankle was now healed—or at least, better than it was yesterday. Kise had foregone attending the club as soon as dismissal came—instead, he helped Shintarou do errands for Imayoshi-senpai about paperwork and signatures to collect that had been assigned to Shintarou since Tuesday—and now it was about thirty minutes to six. Shintarou had no one else to blame but himself. He should've tried to avoid the blonde when he came here. No one but Hyuga and Imayoshi and a handful of other people regarding his task were supposed to see him. Unfortunately, as soon as the blonde found him lurking around near the faculty room after class, he immediately scolded the green-haired teen and—realizing that Shintarou adamantly wasn't leaving until he was finished with his work—never left his side since.

As much as Kise wanted to see Kasamatsu as soon as possible, he decided to hold back since it was obvious his best friend needed a companion—a notion that Midorima rejected almost immediately, of course. Shintarou didn't need anyone tagging along with him as he switched from one department to another. And he most definitely didn't need Kise Ryouta pestering him with questions about Takao.

The raven-haired teen had actually called his friends—namely Kise, Kagami, Aomine, and Momoi—and informed them of what happened. Naturally, they all flocked to the hospital—Kise being the most dramatic of the four as he sobbed and panicked around before Shintarou got to yelling at him to shut up. It was only there that the four found out about Shintarou's mother having been injured along with him. As it turned out, Takao had only told Kise about his friend being in the hospital and never mentioned what happened to Mrs. Midorima—something that made Kise whine at the unfairness of. But Momoi quickly realized the intention—that Takao just didn't want them panicking even more at hearing that the woman had also been hurt in the accident.

Though what was even more surprising was that Takao had actually come back a few minutes after he had left just to deliver their items. Their bags had been left behind and forgotten during the commotion, but the kind old shop owner had taken care of them along with Takao's, so when the teen came to fetch his, he took theirs in tow and delivered it to the hospital. He didn't bother personally giving it to Shintarou, though—which posed a lot of questions in the green-haired archer's mind that he did not want to think about.

Right now, they were just outside the clubroom—with the stack of papers signed and ready to be delivered after one final check from Hyuga-senpai—but for some reason, Midorima hesitated opening the doors.

Ryouta eyed him askance. There was no reason for his best friend to look so uncertain about seeing Takaocchi again—after all, the guy had practically saved them. Takao didn't have to—they could've just called an ambulance—but he did it anyway. So what was so worrisome about that that Midorima Shintarou would be so reluctant in seeing him again, even after coming all the way here? Half of reasons for being here, Ryouta knew, were about the raven-haired idol.

Did something else happen?

"Midorimacchi…"

After a long moment, Midorima didn't speak. He was gripping his lucky item of the day—a toy train engine—and Kise could see that he had his lips pursed thinly. They probably would've stayed there for several more minutes if Ryouta had not seen a shadow enter his peripheral vision.

"Oh hey, you two. You were doing the papers?"

Shintarou visibly flinched at the sound and turned to find Kasamatsu clad in dance practice attire walking towards them. Kise beat him to answering the black-haired male. "Yep~! Just gotta give this to Hyuga-senpai!" Sparkly flowers fumed effervescently off the blonde and both Midorima and Kasamatsu eyed him warily—Midorima more so annoyed than the other.

"Oh right, how are you and your mom, Midorima? I wasn't expecting to see you today," remarking Kasamatsu, adjusting the towel draped on his shoulder and actively ignoring the sneaking glances Kise kept giving him. He had only heard from Takao about what happened and it was only now that he saw the archer again after yesterday's practice. Midorima wasn't in his uniform, confirming his absence today, yet he was here for club activities. The kickboxer didn't know if he should feel impressed at the teen's dedication or stunned at his apparent disregard for complete recovery.

"Mother is fine," Shintarou answered. He wasn't surprised that Kasamatsu knew. Even Imayoshi, who he had approached as soon as the bell rang, had known. "But she's still resting at the hospital. I, on the other hand, have been permitted to leave for a while. I have to finish these before they stack up." More like Shintarou had to persuade his father to allow him to go to school. He could see Kise frowning at him, clearly still worried about his decision to leave bedrest for later.

Technically, his doctor and the radiologist had confirmed that he would be fine and wouldn't need to stay any longer in the hospital, but they had still advised the teen to rest at home. Shintarou would have none of it and argued that it would fine to attend school. It was just a mild sprain, after all. There was no way Shintarou would let something as mundane as that affect his perfect class attendance record. Besides, Cancers ranked the highest today. And Oha-Asa specifically recommended getting some fresh air to boost luck and health. Why should he ignore the advice?

Unfortunately, his father would have none of it either. He was barred from going to class today and so, Shintarou had to be absent due to his sprained ankle as he was forced to stay in his private hospital room. But later in the afternoon, he had finally managed to persuade Father to let him visit the school for a few hours.

His mother was finally doing well enough to be fully awake and thus, discussed with her son about what happened. True to Shintarou's prediction, she wanted to thank the high-schooler who helped them. But since she couldn't leave yet, she asked Shintarou to do it.

Getting his father's permission was just a simple matter of his mother crooning and pleading sweetly to him. Never let it be said that Midorima Nanako wasn't a powerful woman.

"That's good to hear," replied Kasamatsu, smiling in relief. "You don't know how worried Kazu had been all night. He wouldn't shut up about it."

And now his thoughts were back to Takao Kazunari once again. Shintarou pursed his lips, trying not to look heavenward. Hopefully, the monkey had only divulged non-personal information.

"Come on in, then," beckoned the steel blue-eyed boy to them, opening the doors. Shintarou hesitated for a moment before Kise hopped beside him and leaned closer.

"You need to tell Takaocchi that you and Auntie are okay. It's the least you can do," he quickly whispered to him. Then the blonde tennis player suddenly looked playful. "Besides, Auntie will be mad if you don't give it to him. Then coming here when you should be resting would be pointless, wouldn't it?"

Shintarou was about to tell him off when the people inside finally noticed them. "Oh, Midorima! What are you doing here?"

Thus, he was forced to come inside and entertain questions from everyone. It seemed that they all knew that he had been absent due to the accident, and like Kasamatsu, were surprised to see him at this time of the day. Handing over the papers to the Glee Club president, Shintarou was dragged into a conversation with Sakurai and Kuroko as they inquired of his current situation. Here, Shintarou noticed a huge distinction. Unlike the others who only asked about him, the brunette and blunette asked about his mother as well—but in a low voice. It appears that only Takao's closest friends knew of that fact, while everyone else was oblivious of his mother's condition. Was the whole school unaware, as well?

With Misdirection taking a small break, the archer found the aforementioned raven-haired teen drinking water as he sat on the sidelines. Silvery-blue eyes locked gazes with his verdant green ones, and Midorima couldn't help the jolt he felt run through his spine. He didn't know why, but there was something different about that gaze this time.

Takao got up, depositing his water bottle on one of the cubbies beside the entrance. Everyone else was busy as they took a break that no one paid the raven-haired teen any mind when he approached Shintarou. But the archer could sense that Kise was watching them quietly, and he didn't know how to feel about that.

Honestly, what is wrong with him? It was just Takao.

"You know…" started Takao with an amused smile, "when I said I'll see you today, I didn't really mean that. It was just an automatic response, and I seriously did not expect you to actually show up today. You should be resting."

Shintarou frowned, resisting the urge to groan at the words he'd been hearing since this morning. Didn't people understand that sometimes resting doesn't always equate to peace of mind? Shintarou wouldn't have left if the hospital didn't grate on his nerves and if home hadn't felt so strange without his mother's aura brightening up the place.

He opted to mull over a good response for the other teen's words. He decided to be slightly honest. "Mother wanted you to have these." Takao's eyes widened in surprise and confusion as he raised his hand and offered a small, unbranded cake box.

"I take it she's okay, then?" asked Takao in relief, meeting his gaze.

Ryouta surreptitiously watched as the two teens conversed near a corner of the studio. There was something about the way they stood facing each other that made the blonde athlete curious. When Takaocchi had called him yesterday as he, Momoi, Kagami, and Aomine were wandering around in the mall, he didn't get to question him much about his involvement with the accident. The only thing that registered in his panicking mind was that his childhood best friend got hurt and he needed to make sure he was okay.

When he did finally confirm that, he found out more about the story and how much Takao had actually done for the Midorimas. And he was astonished, to say the least.

It wasn't that the raven-haired male struck him as someone who didn't care, but Ryouta saw him more as the type who would've just called an ambulance and left things at that since he and Midorima weren't close. Takao may like teasing people, but he sure as hell didn't butt in their business if he didn't consider them his friends.

He quietly observed as said teen grinned smugly while Midorimacchi huffed and pushed his glasses up. Just a few days ago, the green-haired archer didn't even want to go near Takao—the slightest noise from him making Midorima stiffen. But now, he was relaxed and conversing normally with the idol. Or well, as normally as he could. There were instances of subtle fidgeting that reminded Ryouta of his childhood days with the taller teen, but overall, Midorimacchi seemed relaxed. When Takao opened the cake box—with much reluctance of accepting first, telling Midorima that it wasn't necessary and prompting the other to chastise him for letting his mother's work and his trip to the school go to waste—his eyes widened in delight.

Almost immediately, Midorima deflated in relief in his own inconspicuous way.

"Ooh, cookies~!" crowed Takao, fingers hovering inside and trying to decide which one to choose. "Did your mom make these? Isn't she still in the hospital? Wait…" Takao squinted in suspicion, but his teasing smile gave his true feelings away. "Did _you_ make these?"

The green-haired teen adjusted his glasses needlessly once again. "Of course not. Mother baked a batch yesterday, before she went out and I joined her."

Takao hummed in response, looking at the selection more closely. "But really, there's no need."

"If she was here, you would be hard-pressed to reject her," pointed out Midorima—to which Takao only smiled guiltily at.

"Alright…" Finally making a decision, the silver-eyed student plucked out a sugar-dusted cookie, examining it.

"Just don't raise your expectations. Mother likes to experiment, so they may not have turned out as well as they look," disclaimed the archer hastily, toying with his train engine.

Takao appeared to want to say something, but shook his head in amusement instead. In a single bite, he ate half of the cookie, sugary bits clinging to his lips. The idol closed his eyes, chewing thoughtfully, before he opened them in surprise. "Oh…" he voiced in surprise after swallowing. "It's a meringue. Nice!" He then proceeded to gobble up the rest of the pastry.

Kise blinked at the image of his best friend exhaling quietly while looking elsewhere. Had Midorimacchi been worried about Takaocchi's reaction?

"Thank goodness…" he heard Midorima mutter, "It seems I won't be having indigestion soon after all."

"I bet your mom likes your input, doesn't she?" asked Takao with a taunting grin, plucking out another cookie.

Watching Shintarou interact with someone else made a warm feeling blossom inside Ryouta. It was rare for someone like the emerald-eyed teen to talk to another person like this.

"Thank god."

Ryouta started, turning to Kasamatsu who came to stand beside him. "I was worried your friend might strangle mine someday," he explained to the blonde. "Looks like we can breathe easy for a little while longer."

"T-That's kinda mean, Yukiocchi…" remarked Ryouta uneasily.

"Kazunari's a relentless, annoying piece of shit when he puts his mind to it," replied Kasamatsu with an amused smirk, not bothering to mince his words. "I've seen the most patient of guys almost kick his ass, you know. So I won't be too surprised if Midorima finally snaps around him."

"B-But he's not _all_ that!" protested the amber-eyed tennis player, careful not to draw attention to the two of them as they watched Midorima and Takao converse on the other side of the dance studio. "I've seen Takaocchi be serious, too! It made me feel like I could depend entirely on him if I wanted to and he would never let me down…" Ryouta looked away, feeling embarrassed as he trailed off. But it was true. That was what he felt when he had faced the serious side of Takao. The raven-haired teen may have said that Kise's passion regarding his attraction to Yukiocchi was intense, but Takao didn't realize that his own passion was ferocious compared to his. Ryouta wouldn't deny that he had been jealous when he saw the idol act like that when talking about Kasamatsu, but he still couldn't decide if it was because he was jealous that Takao felt like that towards his best friend or that Kasamatsu had someone like him around.

"I know."

Ryouta jerked in surprise, suddenly afraid that Yukiocchi had found out about his visit last Saturday. But Kasamatsu just stared at Takao and Midorima, wearing a wistful smile. "I know the feeling all too well. It's why I never pushed him away after all these years."

The blonde felt it again—that pinprick in his chest that confused him about his true feelings towards Takao.

"But that's why I'm also not _too_ worried," Kasamatsu finished, chuckling softly. "They'll be fine."

The statement brought Ryouta out of his stupor, and he glanced at the two near the corner. Takao had said something and he laughed wholeheartedly. But unlike Midorima's earlier expressions, this one made Ryouta's heart swell in pride and relief.

There was a peculiar quirk to his ever-frowning lips.

It wasn't long before the Glee Club and its temporary assistants were dismissed. Ryouta and Kasamatsu watched in fascination as Takao one-sidedly bantered with Midorima as they exited the building, never letting the other's deadpan snarkiness affect his jovial mood. Just then, the blonde saw Momoi approach them with a phone to her ear. Spotting him, the pink-haired girl waved her hand in greeting.

"Ki-chan, ready to go?"

"Ah, right!" They needed go to back to the mall, since their shopping trip was cut short by yesterday's events.

Ryouta said goodbye to Kasamatsu and the others, joining Momoi's side as they walked past the school gates. Kagami and Aomine didn't have to join them this time, and so the two went the opposite direction they were going. Ryouta looked back to Takao and Midorima, debating whether he should accompany his best friend instead or not, but ultimately decided against it. The archer wasn't alone—Takao would make sure he gets home fine, the blonde was sure of it—and there would be plenty of time later to reprimand him once again about not resting. _You may be safe for now, but wait till I visit your house tonight._

Momoi was still oddly silent as she continued to listen to the phone. Ryouta wondered if she was having a conversation or was just listening to a voice mail. He had expected her to scold Midorimacchi like he did for neglecting his bedrest, but the girl merely walked with him.

"Momocchi, everything okay?" he asked.

"Hm? Oh." Momoi turned to him, smiling brightly as she covered the mouthpiece. "Yes!"

She looked back over her shoulder, watching the retreating forms of the two tallest males in the group they just separated from. "I hope so," she whispered.

 

* * *

 

The dismissal bell rang, signalling the end of Friday school-related activities for the students and marking the beginning of the awaited sweet weekend. But for Kagami Taiga, it was anything but sweet.

Burgundy-red eyes stared in horror at the sheets of paper before him. Beside him, Aomine Daiki mirrored the same expression with his own papers.

"Oh, good. Your faces tell me you're aware of how much trouble you'll be in if you don't take this seriously."

The two athletes turned to Koga-sensei in uneasiness, two sets of pleading eyes looking out of character for the tough-looking teens. But the dark brown-haired teacher only shook his head and rolled his eyes.

The sheets of paper in question were Kagami and Aomine's math quizzes, from the start of the curriculum up to today. Having their last class as math, Koganei Hajime—who not only was their teacher in the subject but also happens to be, unfortunately, the homeroom advisor of Class 2-C—finally gave back his students' quizzes. But out of them all, only Kagami the basketball idiot and Aomine the soccer dumbass had scores less than 5 on each paper. It was definitely not a good sign for the year, and Koganei would be damned if he let the two fail now.

Because not only did he genuinely want to help as a teacher, but his career was also on the line here, of course—as the two teens were the star players of their respective teams. And lord knows just how much Kiseki no Sedai valued their sports.

"If this keeps up, you're going to fail your exams and will have to take remedial classes," he reminded them unkindly, taking off his wire-rimmed glasses to polish them. "And you know fully well what that means, no matter how stupid your quiz scores say you are, don't you?"

Kagami and Aomine simultaneously gulped, staring back at the papers with dread in their eyes. _No playing_ , their minds supplied.

"W-We still have hope, right?" asked Kagami worriedly. "I mean, we've got enough time to raise our grades up and pass the tests!"

"Not with the level your IQs are currently at," quipped Koga bluntly, not bothering to soften his words as he shook his head. As expected, the two teens flinched, well aware that studying isn't exactly their strong point. Honestly, the two knuckleheads' grades last year may have improved thanks to their friends—earning them the chance to move up one section higher—but they were still sports idiots through and through. As such, he could already hear the two bickering back and forth like they always did.

"What, seriously? You answered with _that_?"

"Oi, you got it wrong, too!"

"But at least I tried to solve it, dumbass!"

The math teacher pinched the bridge of his nose. It looks like he would have to get Akashi-kun to tutor them once again. The idiots were lucky that they personally knew the intelligent student council president. But unfortunately, Akashi Seijuurou wasn't due to arrive back in school until two more weeks. Such was the life of an heir to a multimillion-dollar corporation.

He couldn't ask Himuro-kun either. Although nowhere near as smart as the redheaded president, Himuro Tatsuya was still intelligent and at least had the advantage of knowing Kagami and Aomine since childhood. He had proven to be a capable tutor last year when Akashi found himself unusually chagrined by the challenging task of making sure the two idiots passed. But like Akashi, Himuro was excused from school and wouldn't be back until two weeks later, as well. He needed someone available right away.

Perhaps he could just ask Midorima-kun from Class 2-A, then… Hajime contemplated the idea, but quickly scrapped it. Without Akashi around, the green-haired teen would just lose patience with his idiot friends. Kise-kun may be of help, but even _he_ struggled with math sometimes. It was only by Midorima's help that he was still in the pilot section, actually. Maybe he could get one of his smarter students here for the job instead? It _would_ make things easier, since they would be in the same class as the basketball forward and the soccer ace. Or maybe he should just go for Momoi-kun from Class 2-B. She was almost in the same position as Himuro, but closer to Aomine—though Koga doubted the girl would be able to handle two idiots on her own, on top of being the soccer team's manager. Perhaps through a combined effort of the three friends? It was possible, but he had heard that Kagami and Aomine were also struggling in their other subjects. They need more help than what Midorima, Kise, and Momoi could offer alone…

The man's musings were interrupted by another voice in the classroom. Hajime looked up to find Sakurai Ryou perusing Kagami and Aomine's papers, turning paler and paler with every sheet. "H-How…?" squeaked Sakurai, wearing an utter look of disbelief as he asked the redhead and the blunette.

"Because they're two dumb jocks, that's how," he replied with a flourish of his glasses before they could. Kagami and Aomine shot him mixed glares, both indignant and embarrassed. They hated that, out of all the teachers in the math department, it had to be Koganei "The Dragon" Hajime. The old geezer was insanely strict and stiff-necked. He didn't like students horsing around and not taking studying seriously and so, he would rule the classroom with an iron fist just to make sure they all passed his subject—breathing fire down their necks if he had to. It was just the two athletes' luck that they were transferred to _his_ class this year.

And not for the first time did they suspect Akashi having to do something with that.

Sakurai chuckled nervously at the answer. "I-I'm sure they can improve, Sensei."

"Oh, I'm hoping for it. Otherwise, we'll all be in trouble," said Koga with an aggravated sigh.

"Maybe if you didn't suspend us, we wouldn't be struggling right now," muttered Aomine, glancing sideways at the door.

"You were _always_ struggling, Aomine-kun," snapped Koga, feeling his brow tick angrily. "Even without having to work for the Glee Club, I doubt you would've gotten a passing score on those quizzes."

At the very least, the dark-skinned soccer player had the sense to look reluctantly cowed.

"But speaking of the Glee Club…" Koga turned to Sakurai, curious. "Shouldn't be practicing right now, Sakurai-kun?"

The chocolate-eyed brunette quickly blanched and started bowing. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I-I should've left already, I'm sorry!"

But before Koga could try to placate the suddenly-apologizing teen, a shock of light blue mysteriously appeared in the room. "Ryou-kun, stop being sorry. Koganei-sensei was just asking you, not reprimanding you."

The three other occupants of said room jolted in surprise as Kuroko Tetsuya suddenly arrived using his infamous magic trick. Honestly, it had already been a year, but Hajime still couldn't get used to that. Fortunately, Kuroko's words managed to calm Sakurai down and he was no less grateful. He still couldn't get used to the brunette idol's sudden, fevered bouts of apologizing, as well.

"G-Geez, Kuroko! Would it kill ya to not pop up like that?!" complained Kagami, still clutching his chest.

"No, but it might kill you," quipped Kuroko with a quirk of his lips.

"Why, you little—!"

"S-Sorry, Sensei…" said Sakurai hesitantly. "I-I was just curious as to what happened to Kagami-san and Aomine-san that I—"

"It's alright, really," assured the math teacher. "I was just wondering, is all. You boys are becoming fast friends, I take it?"

Sakurai flushed lightly. "W-Well, I wouldn't s-say that. We're always going to the clubroom together lately… a-and Kagami-san is helping us with basketball, while Aomine-san will be teaching us s-soccer…"

It was as if a lightbulb had actually lit up over Hajime's head.

"Sakurai-kun, Kuroko-kun…" Calling out their names, the bespectacled teacher put an arm around each boy, pulling them close to him. He smiled just a little too eagerly. "Can you please tutor these two idiots?"

To say that he got immediate reactions would be an understatement.

"E-Eh?! B-But why us, S-Sensei?!" asked Sakurai, looking as if he was about to keel over under his hold.

"Yeah! I mean—no offense, Sakurai—but they're not exactly at the top of our class, are they?" remarked Kagami, remembering something useful for once.

"At least we're better off than you," retorted Kuroko monotonously, perusing the papers just as Sakurai did.

"Oi, w-we're trying our best here, okay?!" protested Aomine, snatching the sheets away in embarrassment.

Hajime sighed. Straightening his glasses, he put a hand on his hip, taking the time to relax his body. It was only the second week of school and yet the work wasn't getting any easier. He had papers and grades to worry about, and most importantly, the welfare of the Glee Club to watch over. If the club's arrangements for the June fundraiser concert hadn't been messed up, then he wouldn't be feeling more stressed out than usual.

"You four are already in an agreement, correct?" he asked matter-of-factly. The four high-schoolers paused at his words, staring at him in surprise and bubbling dread. There was something about the way the light glinted off the math teacher's glasses that warned them to be cautious, and so they reluctantly nodded.

"Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun are coaching the two of us for PE," carefully explained Kuroko further.

"Well, then, don't you think it would be a good way to repay them by coaching them in math in return?" suggested Koga.

Appearing alarmed, Sakurai opened his mouth to answer, but then Kuroko quickly interjected him. "Yes, that is a wonderful idea, Sensei."

The brown-haired teacher had expected mild surprise at the immediate acquiescence, at the very least—positive or negative, it didn't matter—but the version he got instead was his mousy-looking student screeching his disbelief at his blunette best friend and turning even paler. Even the sports idiots jolted at Sakurai's reaction.

"Sakurai-kun, is everything okay…?" inquired Hajime warily. Why had the brunette reacted like that? Surely his request-slash-suggestion wasn't that absurd? Daunting and intimidating in a way, yes, but not absurd. This wasn't the first time he had asked the two to tutor their classmates.

"Y-YES!" squeaked Sakurai, whose hands were already gripping Kuroko's lapels—much to Koga's surprise. "E-Everything's okay! It's okay! S-So, so okay!"

"So… you accept, then?"

Sakurai suddenly froze, his horrified expression as still as a stone statue.

"Yes, Sensei. He accepts," answered Kuroko instead, not minding the gripping hands on him. "We would be happy to tutor them in math."

Sakurai unfroze and fiercely shook Kuroko's entire frame, as if doing so would rid the blunette of such ludicrous thoughts. "N-NO, WE'RE NOT! WHY ARE YOU AGREEING FOR ME?!"

It was strange to see the brunette act like this. Hajime had once found Sakurai and Kuroko in the same position, but that happened with their friends as their audience. Usually, Sakurai was timid and tame around other people, so seeing him like this right now was… peculiar. Is he so against tutoring Kagami and Aomine? _But I thought they were starting to become friendly with each other…_

"I'm sorry if I had to ask you two."

The four students turned to stare at their homeroom advisor. "It just seemed like the easiest solution for this," explained Koga with a sigh. "You're right, Kagami-kun. They aren't my top students in your class. And to be honest, maybe it _would_ be better to just get one of your friends to help you, like what we did last year. But…" Nearing the aforementioned teens, the man gently clapped a hand on each of their shoulders. Hajime flashed a small, albeit proud, smile. "Kuroko and Sakurai are good teachers. They've got a good grasp on the lessons, and while I know it'll take a miracle for you two to perfect an exam—let alone a quiz—from me," To which the redhead and the navy-haired boy grimaced at, "I still think they're good enough to get you to pass this subject."

Kagami and Aomine shared a glance. Sakurai turned to Koga with his hands waving dismissively. "B-But Sensei! They can have better tutors! It doesn't really have to be strictly us, r-right? Like you said, their friends would probably be the best choice!"

"I don't really mind."

All turned to Aomine, who was scratching his ear and looking bored. "I mean, it _would_ be convenient, wouldn't it?" continued the soccer player. "If we had to meet up with someone else, it might be more of a hassle than it should be. We're busy enough as it is. Kuroko and Sakurai helping us is a great payback. We train them, they teach us. Besides…" Aomine finally looked at his teacher, but Koga couldn't decipher the expression the teen was wearing. "If you don't see any results, you'll find us a different tutor, right? This doesn't have to be permanent, does it?"

Silence greeted the navy-haired teen's words and Koga wasn't surprised. Between Kagami and Aomine, the redhead was the one whom people expected to stir the proceedings regarding the two of them most of the time. Aomine tended to let his best friend answer for him when it came to non-soccer related conversations. Even in last year's tutor arrangement, he hadn't really put much input other than a disgruntled okay.

"… No, it's not," verified Hajime, leaning back against the teacher's desk as he pushed up his glasses. "I only want Kuroko-kun and Sakurai-kun to help you since no one who's capable enough is readily available at the moment. Akashi-kun and Himuro-kun are still on leave, Momoi-kun has her hands full with the boys' soccer team—not to mention that she's also volunteered as a promoter for the Glee Club—and Midorima-kun and Kise-kun won't be of much help to you without Akashi-kun and Himuro-kun, as much as I'd like to think otherwise. This will just be a temporary set-up until your friends get back to tutor you two full-time once again. It'll only take around two weeks, tops."

"See, Ryou-kun? This won't take long," reassured Kuroko to Sakurai. But the brunette remained unconvinced.

"Surely someone else can be of better help?" suggested Sakurai, nearly sounding pleading to Koga's ears. It made the math teacher all the more confused. He knew that the prospect of tutoring someone like Kagami and Aomine may seem difficult—actually, no, it _is_ difficult—but it wasn't as if he was doing it alone.

"You don't have to teach them every day," placated Hajime. "I know how busy your schedule is, but it's _really_ convenient that you get to meet up with them for practice. Maybe after your training, you can tutor them then?"

The brunette still appeared unsure, biting his lip in contemplation. Just a little more…

"Only two weeks, Sakurai-kun," promised Koga, grasping the student's shoulders. "I'm confident in your abilities."

Sakurai still looked wary. Hajime sighed. Maybe he was mistaken and the brunette wasn't actually comfortable with Kagami and Aomine around. "… If you feel like you can't help after one session, then it's okay. I'll find someone else," he offered. Perhaps this was just another case of low self-esteem.

The chocolate-eyed teen hesitantly glanced at his friend and his classmates, lips opening and closing in indecision, before his eyes finally darted back to Koga with resignation in them. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try…" he sighed.

Kuroko huffed in exasperation. "You need to be more confident, Ryou-kun. Sensei asked for your help himself, didn't he?"

Sakurai could only chuckle sheepishly, one hand scratching the back of his neck.

"So I guess that means we have to adjust the schedule, huh?" pointed out Kagami as he rubbed his chin.

"I-If that's not too much trouble…!"

But the redhead only laughed and waved Sakurai's concerns away. "You're gonna help us pass. Of course it's no trouble! Right, Dai?"

The navy blue-haired teen just grunted, looking elsewhere.

"Well, now that that's settled," remarked Koga happily, pushing away from the desk. "Kagami-kun, Aomine-kun, I leave the cleaning to you two."

"What?!"

Hajime raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "I dismissed your classmates early and made you two stay so I could speak to you. Of course you're going to clean."

"B-B-But that's not fair!"

The mathematics teacher shrugged nonchalantly and picked up his bag from the desk. "Consider it as punishment for failing all those quizzes. You fail one again, you clean. Now isn't that a good incentive?"

"T-That's not how incentives work, Sensei…" said Sakurai, looking torn between unease and concern. Kuroko only coughed behind his fist.

"Koga, you bastard…" Hajime looked back to the two fuming sports idiots, both their brows twitching angrily and their faces looking constipated. Any other teacher would've given them hell for such insolence. But the dark brown-haired man only devilishly smirked.

"Better get those grades up before Akashi and Himuro arrive. After all, my class isn't the only one you're failing at," he teased in a sing-song voice. To his credit, the two knuckleheads visibly blanched. It wasn't often that The Dragon dropped his professional attitude in front of his students, but whenever he did, it was because he was feeling superbly mischievous.

And his students never liked it when he's feeling mischievous.

"You two, on the other hand," said Hajime, referring to the two school idols, "need to hurry back to the clubroom. You're already fifteen minutes late." He didn't bother lingering to see the predictable reaction on their faces—lord knows how frightening Hyuga-kun could be—and so Koga-sensei finally exited the room with bag in hand, a spring to his step and a quirk to his lips.

"That asshole…" muttered Aomine, flopping heavily down on a chair. "I had a feeling he was up to something. He just wasn't satisfied with suspending us—now we gotta reach a quota for his class, too."

"I think he just wants you to pass the minimum…" mumbled Sakurai. He flinched when Aomine glanced at him, but he boldly continued, wanting to explain further. "I-I mean, since most of your quiz scores were w-way below the passing score, I think Koga-sensei would be happy enough if you get at least a p-passing grade on the next pop quiz…"

"Yes, he would. Until Akashi-kun and Himuro-kun come back, that is," retorted Kuroko with the ghost of a smile.

Both Kagami and Aomine groaned. "Don't remind us," pleaded the redhead. Then he looked confused. "But I don't get it. Why did you agree to tutor us? Isn't it that you're already paying us back by helping Kise?" he asked.

"Exactly, Tetsuya-san!" exclaimed Sakurai. "Why didn't you tell Sensei that? N-No offense, Kagami-sa—"

"Why didn't _you_?" retorted Kuroko, cutting him off. His best friend looked embarrassed to answer that, and so Tetsuya continued on. "Well, what else are we going to say to Yukio-kun?"

"Yukio-san?"

"He doesn't know that Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun are coaching us. But when does find out, he'll want to know why they agreed to help us," explained the blunette. "We can't just tell him that it's because of Kise-kun. That's supposed to be a secret."

"So our reason is because we're tutoring them in math?" clarified Sakurai.

"Exactly."

"But can't we just say that they're taking pity on us or something?"

"Do they look like they'd ever willingly help us?" asked Kuroko flatly. The two athletes in question surreptitiously looked away. Sakurai understood the point, but he felt as if Kasamatsu wasn't the true reason why Kuroko enthusiastically accepted the job for them.

"Whelp, looks like we're gonna have to reschedule," reminded Kagami, digging for his phone inside his bag. He was about to check his calendar to adjust this weekend's training schedule when suddenly, a loud ringing erupted from his gadget. Two forked eyebrows rose in unison as the name of Kagami's surrogate brother flashed on the screen.

"Tatsuya! How ya doin'?" greeted Kagami jovially, moving towards Aomine as he pushed the loudspeaker button.

"Tsuya, when are you coming back? Did you get me a souvenir?" drawled Aomine jokingly to the phone, stifling a yawn.

_"I'm sure you two have already prepared a very good reason for getting suspended on the first week of class. Right, Taiga? Daiki?"_

It was as if gravity suddenly pulled the two athletes' stomachs down.

 _"Because as far as I'm concerned, Akashi-kun and I are_ very _interested in hearing them once we return on Monday."_

Sakurai started as the two taller teens suddenly froze. "K-Kagami-san?! A-A-Aomine-san?!"

Kuroko stared wide-eyed at the sight of two ethereal forms slowly seeping out of the two jocks' immobile bodies and his brunette best friend frantically shaking them to consciousness, the phone's disconnect tone ringing in the background. "Oh, dear," he intoned monotonously. "Well, it seems we won't be tutoring you, after all."

 

* * *

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE.

**Author's Note:**

> Please nag me in social media.


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